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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



SHOUTING: 

GENUINE AND SPURIOUS, 



In all ages of the Church, from the birth of Creation, when the Sons of God 
shouted for joy, until the shout of the Arch- angel: with numer- 
ous extracts from the Old and New Testament, and 
from the works of Wesley,Evans, Edwards, 
Abbott, Cartwright and Finley. 



HISTORY OF THE OUTWARD DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE SPIRIT 



LAUGHING, SCREAMING, SHOUTING, LEAPING, 

JERKING, FALLING UNDER 

THE POWER, ETC. 

With extensive comments, numerous anecdotes and illustrations. 
By 

G. W. HENRY, 

Author of "Trials and Triumphs; or, Travels in Egypt," "Twilight and 

Beulah," "Wedlock and Padlock, Temporal and Spiritual," 

"Camp Meeting Hymn Book," etc. 



'If these should hold their peace, the stones would' cry' dut." Luke 19:40. 



CHICAGO: 
METROPOLITAN CHURCH ASSOCIATION, 

223 N. Kedzie Avenue. 



THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

JUN »903 

Copynght Entry 
CUSS <*./ XXe. No. 

JT f 3 3 l> 

COPY 0. 



\* 






^ 



Copyright 1903 

BY 

Metropolitan Church Association, 
Chicago. III. 



PREFACE. 

Our apology for writing this book is this: 

i. — We believe God has called us to the work. 
2 . — We love to work for God in spreading Scriptural 
holiness through the land. 

3. — We desire to bless the world with spiritual 
bread, and at the same time procure for ourselves and 
family the bread of earth. 

We expect to give an account in the judgment for 
every word we have written. Our book is a child of 
prayer. Unceasingly have we prayed for the Spirit's 
direction; the need of which we have felt especially, be- 
cause our blindness compelled us to the unnatural 
method of writing through our son and daughter. 

O! Lord, if the book please Thee, give it the wings of 
a carrier dove, and prepare its way to the firesides of 
thousands ; and may it win many souls to Christ after we 
are dead. Amen! 



EDITORIAL INTRODUCTORY. 

The subject of religious demonstration is at this time agitating 
the professed holiness movement of the United States in a 
marked degree, from the fact that God has seen fit to lay upoi 
the saints of the Metropolitan Church Association very markeo 
manifestations, expressed by shouting, screaming, jumping, 
dancing, physical prostrations, visions, bodily healings, and 
other outward signs of His glorious presence. These demon- 
strations are not at all understood, except by those who have 
the Holy Spirit, and it is for this reason that nearly all the so- 
called religious press, and holiness preachers and evangelists 
who have compromised or been guilty of some other sin are 
arrayed against us. 

A great shout from hell has gone up. louder than our people 
are able to make, crying, "Fanaticism! Fanaticism!! Fanaticism 
of the rankest kind!!! All in the flesh! Shameful! Wicked! 
Disgraceful!" In fact, our enemies use every name of abuse 
which can be conjured up against it, yet the more they bellow, 
the more God puts it upon our people, until now from ocean to 
ocean we are called the "holy jumpers" and similar names. 

Wherever our evangelists and workers go the secular press 
fills column after column with accounts of the strange demon- 
strations occurring in our meetings. People come to see and 
hear in vast crowds filling the largest buildings in the cities. 
Numbers of them are brought under deep conviction, and, 
thank God, are truly converted, or sanctified wholly. One of 
the notable effects of our meetings, is the bringing to the surface 
of the darkest sins, for which restitution is made, and souls are 
saved. Nearly all of the persons who find God, confess that 
they were brought under conviction by the Holy Spirit, through 
the instrumentality of the demonstration. 

At our regular church services a constant revival progresses, 
year in and year out, and our people are the happiest people 
on the earth, we think. 

Recently the book of Rev. G. W. Henry, long out of print 
was placed in our hands, and upon perusal, proved to be so nearly 
a counterpart of our own work, and such a blessed book withal, 
that we decided to reprint it, and thus answer, under God, the 
prayer of its sanctified author, that it might be a blessing long 
after he had passed away. We tried to obtain the original 
plates, but found that the devil had burned the establishment 
where they were made, thirty years ago. You may rest assured 
that he does not want this book circulated, as it administers a 

5 



6 Editorial Introductory. 

stinging rebuke to his demonstration fighters who travel as 
holiness preachers, editors, and evangelists. 

Rev. Brother Henry's itinerary through the Bible is very 
instructive from any point of view, as it is consecutive, and is 
written so readably that children and adults take equal delight 
in following him through the various scenes which he depicts. 
When the Bible story is finished, he follows with scenes, sketches, 
and quotations from the noted saints of the centuries, and closes 
with the experiences of his own church, altogether certainly 
proving that God's people in all ages have been a demonstrative 
people. 

No one can advance any logical reason why the worship of 
our great God should not be with excessive gladness, and why 
this great joy shall not be manifested to the world by the exer- 
cise of the God-created members and God-given powers of the 
human body, and not confined to the inner recesses of the soul, 
while the worshiper sits solemn and inexpressive. Neither can 
it be thought strange of a seeker after God, when he realizes 
that hell is his doom, unless he finds mercy, that he should 
demonstrate his intense agony by bodily contortions and loud 
outcries. 

Many of our critics claim that because our expressions of 
praise and gladness, such as jumping, shouting, and such like, 
are voluntary upon the part of our worshipers, that therefore 
it is not "in the Spirit," as they choose to say. They claim 
that it should be without our own volition, or "put upon us by 
the Spirit." 

The Spirit and the written word plainly teach differently. 

God loveth a cheerful giver, and an offering of praise is ac- 
ceptable to him. If God had to furnish the praise to an invol- 
untary subject, He would only be praising Himself. 

Again we are told to stir up the gift which is within us, i.e., the 
Holy Spirit. We are not to wait until the "gift" stirs us up. 
The old teaching that we are to wait until the "Spirit moves 
us" is one of the worst forms of fanaticism. 

Another class of arguers say that the peculiar demonstrations 
drive so many people away. No doubt it does drive some 
away but in the meantime our workers are preaching to packed 
houses, and our street meetings are attended by from three to five 
thousand listeners. Hallelujah! 

Among the Pentecostal signs promised to God's people were 
listed the seeing of visions and the dreaming of dreams. These 
signs have been fulfilled in our people, and nothing has been 
more wonderful and helpful to the believers, nor has anything 
provoked more scorn and disbelief than these very signs on 
behalf of professional yet not actual Christians. Not only in 
Chicago but in the various cities where our meetings have been 
held, God has shown His presence, power, and love by blessing 



Editorial Introductory. 7 

some with these wonderful visions, during which the person 
would remain for hours totally oblivious to sights and sounds 
around him, while they made an extended tour into the regions 
of the hereafter, hand in hand with the blessed Lord or one of 
His own appointed angel guardians. While the subjects were 
in the visions they would give utterance to certain words, sen- 
tences and snatches of heavenly songs, like a person talking into 
a telephone without hearing the answers, which would guide 
the listener as to where the persons were and what was going on, 
and when the vision was over they could tell all about where 
they had been and what they had said, heard, and seen, and 
it would exactly tally with what had been gleaned from the 
catch words uttered while in their unconscious state. 

We describe it thus fully that the reader may understand 
that the devil has not palmed off simple cases of hysteria and 
religious excitement upon us, as many of our critics claim is the 
case. We have had evil disposed persons professing a high 
state of grace state that the visions were simply the product of 
indigestion or some similar complaint, but, bless God, we have 
been too near them to be deceived. Besides we expect the 
visions, as they are promised to the people of God. 

Of dreams, we can say that among our people, the Lord has 
made wonderful revelations concerning threatening danger and 
forewarnings of the snares of the devil. 

In closing the Introduction to the book we must mention 
the fact that the doctrines of divine healing and the pre-millen- 
nial return of our Christ to the earth, are accepted by our people 
universally. Concerning the former, we witness almost daily 
occurrences of God's power to heal the body. Upon asking 
the audience of the Metropolitan Holiness Church as to how 
many people had been healed of physical ailment through prayer 
alone, the principal part of a large congregation rose to their 
feet. Thanks be to God! 

With reference to the second coming of Christ, we find that 
the pre-millennial preaching of this truth is one of the most 
helpful subjects to influence sinners to flee to God, and to lead 
justified Christians to seek a holy heart. 

We find at this time that the post-millennial believers are 
mostly backsliders in heart and many of them were once pre- 
millennialists when they were living real Christian lives. 

Finally, we find that the preaching of either or both of these 
blessed truths naturally leads toward that which is the subject 
of this book, namely, Shouting, or more broadly speaking, 
demonstration on the part of the worshipers. When any one 
is healed by direct divine interposition it is natural to shout 
praises, and when the saints hear that their Bridegroom will 
soon return, their joy knows no bounds, so we praise God for 
the privilege of demonstration, and expect to jump and shout 
on until, Jesus comes again. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I.— Introductory. 
House put in Order — Matrimonial Excursion — Sons of God Shouting — Crossing 
the Threshold— Theme of the Book. 

CHAPTER II.— Our Platform. 
On a Search — Two Pillars — Croakers — Family Quarrels — Gog and Magog. 

CHAPTER III.— Platform Exemplified. 
Dr. Z. Paddock — Hopping — The Accuser — Crawling out of the Shell. 

CHAPTER IV.— The Way Marked Out. 
God's Order — No Neutrality — Map of the route — Gloomy and Spiritual Religion. 

CHAPTER V. — Moses and his Mother. 
Glory of Egypt — Ark of Rushes — Trust in Providence — Strong Cords — Discon- 
solate Mothers — Finley's Vision. 

CHAPTER VI.— The Plagues of Egypt. 
Rip Van Winkle nap — Unusual employment — Moses' Commission — The Plagues 
— Too much Noise — Funeral scene — Universalist — Come out — West India 
Emancipation — Spiritual Freedom. 

CHAPTER VII.— Israel's First Trial. 
A Critical Position — Providence and Grace — At Migdol — Fugitive Slave Law. 

CHAPTER VIII.— Crossing the Red Sea. 
Young Converts — Morning of Joy — Shaft of Fire — Safe Sleeping — Sea Divided. 

CHAPTER IX. — Passage of the Red Sea Celebrated. 
Triumphant Songs — Holy Dancing. 

CHAPTER X.— Spurious Shouting. 
The Camp at Sinai — Moses on the Mount — Israel Backslides — Golden Calf De- 
stroyed — First Mourner's Bench — Breaking the Tables — Dancing. 

CHAPTER XI. — Grapes and Pomegranates. 
Moses' Anger Justified — Dedication of the Tabernacle — Majority and Minority 
Report — Experienced Pilots. 

CHAPTER XII.— The Smitten Rock. 
Going Ahead — Trial of Faith — A Revival — Water from the Rock— Noisy 
Revivals. 

CHAPTER XIII.— License to Shout. 
Rumseller's License — Slaveholder's License — Christian's License to Shout — 
When to Shout — A Victory — Moses' Funeral. 

CHAPTER XIV.— Crossing Jordan. 
A hard road to travel — Christian's Triumph — Honors from God — Mountain of 
Water — The "Second Blessing" — Loss of an Army. 

CHAPTER XV.— Fall of Jericho. 
Ram's Horns — Marching around the Walls — Rahab Saved — Effective Shouting 
— The Number Seven — Seventh Trumpet. 

9 



io Contents. 

CHAPTER XVI.— From Jericho to Jerusalem. 
Saints below and above — Swallow Holes — Corn and Wine — A Shameful Defeat 
— Church Trials — Mouldy Bread — At Jerusalem. 

CHAPTER XVII.— A Celebration and a Dinner. 
Ark Coming Back — Why the Glory Departed — Head Religion — Ark on a Cart — 
Rev. Mr. Uzzah — Music — Curtain Lectures — Bell for Dinner — Widow's Crust. 

CHAPTER XVIII.— Rebuilding the Temple. 
A Rip Van Winkle Nap — Things Change— Shouting and Weeping — Bro. P's Re- 
marks — "Ichabod" — Triumph of the Wicked. 

CHAPTER XIX.— Advent of Christ. 
Backward and Forward — Waiting — Celestial Choir — Rapture of Simeon — 
Heavenly Joseph — Living Redeemer — Watchword. 

CHAPTER XX. — Christ Entering upon his Ministry. 
Wading — The Waters Deepening — Search for Jesus — John the Baptist — Behold 
the Lamb — First Appointment — Ten Lepers — Blind Bartimeus. 

CHAPTER XXL— Feeding the Ten Thousand. 
Lepers Noisy — Bartimeus Noisy — Out-door Meeting — Saving Power — Multitude 
Fed — Christ King — Marvelous Loaf. 

CHAPTER XXII. —Christ on the Stormy Sea. 
A Stormy Night — Jesus on the Water — Peter's Request — Sinking and Rising — 
Faith Stronger — A Question — Peace like a River — Benefit of Agitation. 

CHAPTER XXIIL— Christ Raising the Dead. 
Poor Shoemaker — The Widow's Trust — Widow's Hope — Funeral Procession — 
Widow's Son Raised — Family of Bethany — Death of Lazarus — "Come Forth" 
— Second Blessing — Peculiar Exercises. 

CHAPTER XXIV.— The Prodigal's Return. 
Hilly Country — Another Pisgah — Feeding Swine — Prodigal Coming — Christian's 
Telegraph — Banquet — Amazement — Second Course — Music — Elder Brother. 

CHAPTER XXV. — Christ's Grand Entry into Jerusalem. 
The Last Appointment — Fat Calves — Better Times — Morning News — Jesus 
Mounted — Procession Moves — Decision of Supreme Judge — Arrival of the 
Train. 

CHAPTER XXVI.— Christ Cleansing the Temple. 
Committees Report — Cleansing Process — S. S. Celebration — Another Commit- 
tee — Feed the Lambs. 

CHAPTER XXVII. — The Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension. 
Extravagance — More Resolutions — Savior Tried — Another kind of Shouting 
— Soldiers at the Tomb — Tidings of Joy — Ascension. 

CHAPTER XXVIII.— Day of Pentecost. 
Orderly Prayer Meeting — Fire, Fire — Working Converts — Divine Revival — 
Preaching in Charge — Effects — Spiritual Temple. 

CHAPTER XXIX.— Young Converts. 
Exhortation — Relates his Experience — Power of Salvation — Overdoing the 
Thing — Paul's Experience. 

CHAPTER XXX.— The Wine of the Kingdom. 
We be Brethren — Effects of Drinking — As thou wilt — Critical Spot — Chapter 
on Wine — Life of the Author — Good morning, Brother Pilgrim. 

CHAPTER XXXI.— Views of John Wesley. 
The Old Tree— Tree of Life — Dangerous Rock — The Model Revival — Wesley 
not Deified — Misrepresented — Change of Views. 



Contents. ii 

CHAPTER XXXII.— Fetter-Lane Confession. 
Extract — Prayer for Pharisees — Vain Hopes — Standing on the Treshold — Con- 
troversy with a D. D. — Blasphemy — The Call. 

CHAPTER XXXIII.— Wesley's Views Continued. 
Quotation — Horrible Outcries— Quotation — A Calm — The Greater Danger — 
Counterfeits — Quotation — Let Uzzah Beware. 

CHAPTER XXXIV.— Wesley's Views Continued. 
Extract — Wonderful Scene — Another Sight — Laughing Blessing — Experience. 

CHAPTER XXXV.— Wesley's Views Continued. 
P. 45 and 46, vol. 5 — Wesley's Morality — Religion, so-called — As God pleases, 
a Storm or Calm — Our Warning — Vol. 7, p, 502. 

CHAPTER XXXVI. — Misrepresentations op Wesley. 
CHAPTER XXXVII.— Welsh Jumping. 
Christmas Evans — Welsh Jumping — Comments by Author. 

CHAPTER XXXVIII.— Views of Jonathan Edwards. 
Edwards an Endorser — Extract and Comments. 

CHAPTER XXXIX.— Views of Edwards Continued. 
Extracts and Comments. 

CHAPTER XL. — Views of Edwards Continued. 
A word for Croakers — Light without Heat — Extracts and Comments. 

CHAPTER XLL— Benjamin Abbott. 
Abbott's Conviction — His Conversion — His Sanctification — Our Sanctification. 

CHAPTER XLIL— Second Blessing. 
Two Blind Men— Wesley's Views— Can't Keep Still— Three Gates— Old Piano 
— Perfection. 

CHAPTER XLIIL— Benjamin Abbott. 
Life of Abbott. 

CHAPTER XLIV.— Peter Cartwright. 
Extract on Jerking — Dissatisfaction — New Church — The Jerks — Horse-whip- 
ping — Blaspheming — Divine Agency — Slaying Power — Divine Power. 

CHAPTER XLV.— J. B. Finley. 
Sixty years'ago — Wedding — Wedlock and Padlock — Backwoods Camp Meeting. 

CHAPTER XLVL— J. B. Finley. 
Universalist — Starch taken out — A Pentecost — A Jonah — Fall and Recovery. 

CHAPTER XLVIL— J. B. Finley. 
A Camp Meeting — Peculiarities of the Work— Interesting Incidents — The Child 
Preacher — Sinners Stricken Down — -Results of the Work — Blundering Tac- 
tics — Cattaraugus Meeting — Colonization . 

CHAPTER XL VIII. —The Use of Shouting. 
What's the use? — A Stratagem — Old Moses. 

CHAPTER XLIX.— Third Church, Syracuse. 
A small Swarm — Peculiarities — Persecution — Endorsed by Bishops — Disturbed 
People — Healing Faith — Power in the Pulpit. 

CHAPTER L.— Last Revival. 
Retrospect — Noisiest of all — Difference — To Fault-finders — Behold he cometh. 



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SHOUTING: 

GENUINE AND SPURIOUS. 



Chapter I. — Introductory. 

The last book we gave to the wide, wide world, to 
read and think about, was entitled "Marriage of the 
Lamb, or Wedlock and Padlock, Temporal and Spir- 
itual." The idea of wedlock, is the union of man and 
woman in conjugal love; which is an emblem of the 
union of the sanctified soul with Christ in Divine love 
The idea of padlock, is a union without love either in 
the temporal or spiritual. The design of the book 
was to contrast true religion with false, the foolish 
virgins with the wise, a dead formality with the living 
power; and in the execution of this design a book was 
born containing four hundred and sixty large duodec- 
imo pages. 

One-fourth of the book was taken up in setting forth 
the birth of the new world, and the six days work laid 
out upon it by the King, in preparing it for the residence 
of his Son, whom he was about to give in marriage to 
the "elect lady," of whom the Apostle John speaks. 
The first two or three days were occupied in bringing 
order out of chaos, in raising the little hills and piercing 
the sky with lofty Chimborazos, in scooping out a place 
for the restless sea, and in furnishing the Bridegroom's 

13 



14 Matrimonial Excursions. 

palace and its adjacent grounds with beautiful adorn- 
ments, and everything necessary to meet the wants of 
the intended occupants. The palace was beautiful with 
its carpet of green; and close at hand the garden of the 
Lord was prepared, with its lovely walks and fleecy 
mounds, bestudded and selvedged with unfading flow- 
ers of wondrous beauty, which filled the air with their 
fragrance; at a little distance, on an elevated spot, ap- 
pear vineyards and orchards, every vine and branch 
bending with beautiful and delicious fruit; and further 
off are seen the lofty pines and goodly cedars which 
raise their heads in silent grandeur from the summits of 
Lebanon. 

The house and grounds in order, they were soon il- 
luminated by a mighty chandelier, suspended from 
the arched dome of heaven by an invisible chain, and 
by innumerable side-lights and reflectors, which look 
like angels' eyes peering down on sublunary affairs. 
Then the banquet was prepared for the nuptial festiv- 
ities soon to take place. We look from our elevated 
standpoint, which commands a view of the whole 
plantation, and the sea which yesterday was quiet as 
a May morning, is now like a country school in the 
absence of the master. From the little red herring 
to the enormous leviathan, all are starting off on a 
matrimonial excursion, male and female. We look 
again, and this time we use our ears too, and behold 
another excursion party, which has chosen the air for 
its element. All, balloon-like, are inflated with hyme- 
nial raptures. These are intended partly for the choir 
and partly for pot-pies. In the wisdom of the Crea- 
tor all are coupled, male and female. And no two 
are alike. There is an endless variety of costume; 
and their songs are as various as they are harmonious 
and sweet. We call them the choir, but it is not meant 



Sons of God Shouting. 15 

that they are a select choir. The King provided for 
congregational singing. He had no occasion to offer 
them a salary for doing what they loved so well. It 
was their chief joy to employ the powers bestowed 
upon them. So happy were they that they could not 
help singing. And so well did they perform their vari- 
ous parts, that there was not the slightest discord in 
their grand epithalamium. 

And now appears the animal creation. All are in- 
tended for the household of the Son, from the creep- 
ing thing to the roaring lion and monstrous elephant. 
And now the sixth day's morning dawns. It is to be 
a coronation day. A lord and sovereign of all the 
lower orders of created existence is to be made. A 
triune council has been held. The Eternal Three had 
said, "Let us make man in our image, after our like- 
ness." The decree of the council was executed, and 
man, the last and noblest work of God, appears bear- 
ing the image of the heavenly, and crowned with glory, 
honor and immortality. And now he is put in 
possession of his dominion. Everything that has 
breath passes before him, and receives from him a 
name; and as the vast caravan passes along, all do 
obeisance to him, and give utterance to joyful praises 
to Him who made him their ruler. 

Think you not, dear reader, that the retrospective 
ear and eye of the patriarch of Uz were charmed with 
the scenes he describes when he speaks of the singing stars 
and the shouting of the sons of God at the laying of 
the foundations of earth? Previous to the birth of 
the great Napoleon's son, heavy cannon were placed 
within a short distance of one another, throughout the 
empire; and when it was announced to the happy 
father that a son was given, he placed the match to 
the first cannon, and in a moment all France resounded 



16 Crossing the Threshold. 

with the cannon's thunder, and the prolonged shouts 
of a joyful populace. A similar scene, except the fire 
and smoke, transpired at the birth of the creation. All 
heaven joined in the noisy triumph. 

Here is the first recorded instance of singing and 
shouting; but, glory be to God, not the last that earth 
has known. 

Come now, dear reader, and see in yonder wood- 
land a lovely cottage, filled with peace and plenty. 
See the smoke from its chimney gracefully curling and 
ascending through the green foliage, like incense from 
the golden censer. You wait at the door listening to 
the rumbling tread of the porter in response to your 
rap. He springs the bolt, bids you enter, gives you 
a hearty welcome, and you find yourself seated cosily 
and securely in the old arm chair, and surrounded with 
a circle of warm and respected friends. We wish, in 
this first chapter, to lead you across the threshold of 
our subject, and introduce you to the inmates of our 
dwelling. And now that you are within our walls, 
we will treat you to the best we have, and make you 
more than welcome. 

The dish with which we will serve you will be, Shout- 
ing, or Christian Triumph and Rejoicing, both cause 
and effect. 

In our book entitled "Marriage of the Lamb," we 
had only room to talk about building the palace, and 
furnishing it, and its surroundings, preparatory to the 
marriage ceremony, and the flirtings, hesitations, pal- 
pitations, wooings and espousals of the elect lady, be- 
fore she was willing to "mitten" her old lovers, and to 
forsake all for the King's Son, to be his forever. We 
have had a pleasant time while attending the long 
list of weddings, from that of Adam and Eve in the 
bowers of Eden, to that of Cana of Galilee, which Jesus 



Crossing the Threshold. 17 

attended, including that of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac 
and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel; and finally reached 
the time alluded to by John in Revelation. He heard 
a voice from the throne commanding all, small and 
great, to shout God's praise. All heaven heard and 
obeyed the Divine mandate. The celestial courts 
reverberated with praises, like the voices of ten thousand 
Niagaras, saying, "Alleluia, let us be glad and rejoice." 

But a Pharisee inquires, "What is going on here? 
What is the meaning of this tremendous noise? It 
is enough to deafen a body." The happy saints reply, 
"The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath 
made herself ready;" and an angel now steps forward 
and cries out at the top of his voice, "Blessed are they 
which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." 

In this Scripture, reader, you will find the theme 
of this little book. In the previous volume we were 
occupied with the preparation and the wedding; in 
this we are to speak of the victories and rejoicings 
of the Lamb's wife ; and in another volume still, if Provi- 
dence permits us to write it, we will show how the 
Father would have this Son's wife attired. 



Chapter II. — Our Platform. 

A few years ago our American periodicals were 
burdened with the story of Japhet in search of his father ; 
but we are going out in search of the agonizing groans, 
the hearty amens, the loud hallelujahs, that routed 
the moles and bats from the crevices of log-cabins, and 
from the more comfortable no-steepled, and free pewed 
churches of former times. Where are these three 
friends now? Who has abducted them? The Pharisees 



18 On a Search. — Two Pillars. 

have taken them off to a secret burial, and we know 
not where they have laid them. But we are in search 
of them, and shall do what we can to raise them to new 
life, and to reinstate them in our sanctuaries. 

We are now to introduce you, dear reader, to the 
subject of shouting, and other external spiritual man- 
ifestations. And now let us take each a pilgrim's 
staff in hand, and travel through the sacred record, 
from the beginning of Genesis to the end of Revelation, 
and see what we can find appropriate to our purpose. 
David accumulated the materials for Solomon to build 
the temple, and the prophets and apostles shall furnish 
us with the goodly stones and cedars, to construct 
this little literary edifice. We shall build on the stable 
foundation — the written word. Standing here, we 
defy the world. If God be for us who can be against us. 

There are two pillars in the Christian temple which 
have always annoyed the Devil, the Bible and Chris- 
tian experience; and as it is our business to disturb 
the old adversary as much as possible, we shall, while 
constantly referring to the law and the testimony, 
throw in, as occasion requires, a little of what we have 
seen and felt. It was a prominent characteristic of 
Methodists in olden times to relate their experience, 
and we are strongly inclined to seek the old paths and 
walk therein. When everything in the shape of the- 
ology fails, it is often the case that the simple relation 
of what the soul knows and enjoys will kindle the fire, 
which, like electricity, will leap from heart to heart, 
until the great congregation will be dazzled by its light 
and melted with its heat; and if all are not fettered 
with a slavish fear of men, there will be a shout, and 
perhaps a loud shout. The witness, as said Jesus to 
Nicodemus, speaks what he has seen and felt. His 
soul is all a-glow with feeling; and it is no wonder that 



Ezra Chap m 

The foundation of die Temple laid 




EZRAj.Veri'eio/ 

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Croakers. 19 

words impelled by strong desire and burning love, go 
like grape shot to the hearts that listen. 

We have often been amused while attending camp- 
meetings and other large convocations, to find there 
the regular descendants of Nicodemus, like Saul, head 
and shoulders above the brethren, in their own conceit. 
How earnestly they endeavor to persuade some of the 
brethren that their religion is all imaginary. The 
brother or sister may say, with tearful eyes, that they 
love Jesus, that Jesus smiles and loves them too, that 
he cleanses them from all sin, and rills them with joy 
unspeakable, but these self-constituted censors wonder- 
ingly inquire, "How can these things be," and croak 
back their response, — "enthusiasm," "delusion." Blind 
leaders are these, who lead only into the ditch of moral 
impurity and death. 

But suppose it true as these persons, ignorant them- 
selves of the joys of God's salvation, seem to teach, 
that we cannot certainly know whether we are the 
sons of God or not; or what is the same, that we can- 
not tell the difference between the service of Satan 
and the service of Jesus, between life and death, be- 
tween darkness and light; we may get some consolation 
even from that supposition. In that case, so ignorant 
are we, God will throw us in with infants and idiots, 
who know not their right hand from their left, so that 
we are bound to heaven on the babies' or fools' boat if 
no other. 

The subject of shouting has not been a matter of 
controversy between the Church and world only, but 
has got to be a kind of family quarrel. This contro- 
versy makes sad inroads upon the piety and efficiency 
of the Church. The day when all secrets are to be 
unfolded will show that it has done quite as much to 
recruit the vast army of backsliders, and to unnerve 



20 Steadying the Ark. 

and weaken the Church, as any one of Satan's opera- 
tions. And it seems to be waxing worse and worse 
every year in the Methodist Church. In almost every 
periodical we find this bone of contention. We see 
a v/riter, professing the faith of Christ, claiming to be 
on the same war-ship with the brethren he persecutes, 
and to be led by the same captain, placing his big brogans 
on all spiritual demonstrations, especially if they do not 
agree in weight and measure with his balances and half 
bushel. The brother stepped on so heavily is grieved, 
of course, and thinks it duty to defend practices he loves. 
Accordingly he calls on the prophets and apostles to 
endorse him. They back his paper without hesitation. 
And now he thinks his foes vanquished. He thinks 
his paper ought to pass, with holy men of old who spake 
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, as his endorsers. 
But paper thus backed will not be accepted by the 
children of the Pharisee; and next week out comes 
another old grey goose quill and tries to capsize the 
whole concern. Many of the readers are befogged at 
once. Timid as fawns, which start at the rustling of a 
leaf, they know not which way to turn to escape their 
bewilderment. As Peter, while looking at the roaring 
wave, listening to the terrific thunder, and enveloped 
in darkness made more dense by the occasional light- 
ning's flash, they are in trouble up to their chin, and 
perhaps sink to rise no more. 

Alas! how many do we hear confessing with tear- 
ful eyes and aching hearts, that they have lost the favor 
of God, by trying to please our modern Uzzahs, who 
are always for steadying the ark. Thousands have shrunk 
from a full consecration, for similar reasons. As the last 
cord that binds them to earth is about to be severed, 
they hear a whisper that causes them to hesitate to cut 
it. What will be the consequences of an unreserved 



Gog and Magog. 21 

consecration to God, of soul, body and spirit? New- 
duties to perform, and mortifying crosses to be borne. 
They shrink from these things. The reproach of loud 
shouting and falling under the Spirit's power is more 
than they can endure. They cannot sell all they have 
to buy the pearl of great price. They dare not sign 
the contract. And all the way down to the damp, dark 
grave, they carry sad hearts and wear gloomy faces. 

If a stranger had overheard the Saviour, as he taught 
his disciples on the green hills and mountain summits 
of Palestine, saying to them that he must go up to 
Jerusalem, and suffer many things at the hands of the 
Scribes, and Elders, and Pharisees, he would have 
inquired with astonishment, what! go up to Jerusalem 
to suffer? one would have supposed it the haven of grace. 
And well may strangers in this, the nineteenth century, 
be astonished at the fact that spiritual christians must 
go up to Jerusalem to suffer the persecutions of Pharisees. 
Fires are kindled and crosses are erected by backslidden 
class-leaders, by proud Pharisees in pulpit and in pew. 
Often have God's faithful been heard to pray, to agonize 
in prayer, that they might be able to endure the flames 
— to bear with fortitude the pains of crucifixion. Gog 
and Magog — a man-fearing and man-pleasing spirit, are 
the causes of much of this evil. It is the popular devil 
that is now dragging more souls to hell than any of his 
coadjutors. 

O! thou traveler on the boisterous waves of Gene- 
sareth, that entered the land of the Gergesenes, meas- 
uring swords with legions of devils, and giving them 
a free passage to the depths of the sea in a herd of swine 
— if thine ear has not grown heavy, and thine arm 
shortened, cast this Pharisaic Devil out of thy Zion, and 
kennel him eternally in his native hell. — Amen. 



22 Dr. Z. Paddock. 



Chapter III. — Platform Exemplified. 

We do not intend, dear reader, to condemn persons 
for their silence, nor to commend any merely for their 
loud shouting. We are not called by the Holy Ghost 
to any such work. It is our design, as heretofore sta- 
ted, to inquire what is the will of our heavenly Father 
in reference to this matter. The Apostle Paul has 
ever been whispering in our ear, do you seek to please 
God or man? and we remember that Jesus says, "How 
can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, 
and seek not the honor that cometh from God only." 
We desire to please God, and to obtain the honor which 
he confers, and therefore intend to subject ourselves 
to the Spirit's dictation; and we hope to induce others 
to follow our example. 

But before we advance further, that you may better 
understand our platform, and that we pass good 
naturedly along, and have a pleasant time while ex- 
ploring our subject, permit us to relate, by way of 
illustration, an affair of recent date in which the author 
bore a conspicuous part. It occurred during a camp- 
meeting we attended, of which Dr. Z. Paddock had 
the management. The names of Benjamin and Zech- 
ariah Paddock have always been music in our ears. 
When we were a flaxen-haired boy, a wild youth, these 
brothers and ministers of Jesus, as they went forth to 
sow in Litchfield Circuit, Herkimer Co., N. Y., scattered 
some good seed in the youthful furrows of our heart. 
Their songs, and prayers, and preaching, watered by 
their tears, were not lost by the wayside, although the 
tender blade did not appear for more than a quarter 
of a century. 




BRO. HENRY HAS THE HOPPING BLESSING. 



Hopping. 23 

At this meeting, which occurred during the summer 
of 1857, there was a love feast called, where thousands 
sat in open court, waiting to throw in their testimony 
for Jesus. In front of the stand were sitting with us 
a row of brethren, among whom were the Doctor and 
Bro. Gorham. And here let me say, that Bro. Gorham 
was also one that held a high seat in our affections; 
from whose sanctified lips we heard the sacred doc- 
trine of perfect love; from whom we received, as the 
instrument of God's grace, the white stone with a new 
name engraved upon it ; and who conducted us into the 
land of Beulah, where we have lived ever since, by the 
grace of God, in its waving cornfields and fruitful vine- 
yards. 

When our turn came to bear witness to the joys of 
salvation, we arose with a cup brim- full, and as we 
gave utterance to our feelings, the Angel of the Cov- 
enant plunged into the pool and so agitated the waters 
that every nerve of our body vibrated like a Jew's harp ; 
and as has often been the case on like occasions, before 
and since, we were raised on tip-toe and began to hop, 
unable to control our motions, though perfectly conscious 
of our condition; and while trying to get back to our 
seat, hopped on the toes of the Doctor and other brethren, 
and finally fell back in their laps. This made no small 
stir in the camp. Some shouted, others wondered, and 
said they had never seen it after that fashion before. 
But the love feast went on until it blazed like the burning 
bush. 

Just at this point another old acquaintance found 
his way to our side; one who is faithful in attendance 
at all the means of grace, rain or shine, in whose employ 
we served for many years for miserable wages. He is 
called the Accuser of the brethren. Of course he came 
with a message. He at once whispered in our ear that 



24 The Accuser. — Crawling out the Shell. 

we had offended our dearest friends by our ridiculous 
performances. Dr. Paddock, says he, is never known 
to shout aloud, and is never the subject of such peculiar 
exercises, and there are none of his numerous friends 
but will say he knows more of the heights and depths 
of salvation, than a poor blind man just blasted out of 
the mountain; besides, he has eulogized your books 
more than any other man, and has given them wings 
to fly to firesides where they would not otherwise have 
reached, and now you have lost his friendship by dis- 
gracing the meeting. It may be tolerated, says he, by 
Gorham, for he sometimes shouts himself, but you have 
disgraced yourself in the eyes of the Doctor. By this 
time we have hauled in our horns, and shrunk back in 
our shell like a snail. We would willingly have been 
trampled upon by the meanest mortal on earth. We 
were in the predicament of Bunyan's pilgrim, when 
Apolyon had knocked his sword out of his hand, wounded 
him in the head, and laid him on his back. But he was 
one of God's invincibles, and at the critical moment 
shouted, "O mine enemy, rejoice not against me, when 
I fall I shall rise;" in a breath he was on his feet again, 
brandished his Jerusalem blade, and Apolyon cleared 
the track, and Christian went on his way rejoicing. 
Soon we began to crawl out of our shell again, and 
determined to know whether the Accuser had told the 
truth or not; for sometimes he tells the truth when it 
will serve his evil purpose; but then he mixes truth 
and falsehood just as cotton and wool are mixed in 
pure woolen goods, so that it is sometimes difficult for 
the keenest eyed saint to separate the true from the 
false. According to our determination we told the 
Doctor all that he had told us. Now the Doctor is 
one of the German flutes of the Lord's band, and the 



A Contract. 25 

furrows of his cheeks are always overflowing with tears 
of Christian love. "Well," says he, "that is all a lie; 
I was greatly blessed; and was exceedingly tried with 
myself because I have no such ecstacies; and now Bro. 
Henry I want to make a contract with you, — if you will 
never be tried with me for my stillness, I never will be 
tried with your shouting, hopping and falling." Ah! 
how delightful to our troubled spirit were the rich, silvery 
tones of his voice. The contract was signed and sealed 
with hearty amens in the presence of angels and God. 

Now, reader, you may fish something out of this 
story that will be for your advantage. You have a 
specimen of the manner in which the Devil is operating 
throughout our Zion. He disturbs one brother or sister 
because they are never the subjects of extraordinary 
demonstrations of the Spirit ; and at the same time tells 
the noisy ones that they had better stop their mouths 
and hide their heads. He sits in his great iron chair, 
and laughs out of the corners of his mouth, to think 
that he has so adroitly killed two birds with one stone. 

Can you tell, reader, why the Devil is said to have 
one cloven foot? If you do not know, we can tell you. 
It is because he creates all the divisions among brethren. 
If he can only crowd this foot into the Church, into 
families, into neighborhoods, where the Prince of Peace 
reigns, and all hearts are bound together like Joseph's 
sheaf, in unfeigned love, and then sow a few seeds of 
discord, and curdle the sweet milk of fraternal love into 
bitterness and strife, he has gained a great victory; for 
"by whom a man is overcome, by the same he is brought 
into bondage." Some one has said that Satan was like 
a sun-fish. He would shrink himself to the thickness 
of a shingle, and slip so smoothly between two brethren, 
that they would scarcely perceive him; then he would 



26 Slaying Power. 

spread out his sharp horny fins until he had fixed a gulf 
between them as impassable as that between Dives and 
Lazarus. Alas! how frequently have the peculiar exer- 
cises of which many are the subjects, been made the 
entering wedge of endless heart burnings and strife. 

Not a thousand years ago, two sisters, who for years 
had walked together in Christian love, without a single 
discord to mar the harmony of their fellowship, were 
entirely alienated from one another. While on a visit 
to a neighboring society, one was awakened to the 
subject of holiness, sought and obtained it, and like 
Noah's dove, having found rest on the Ararat of perfect 
love, returned to her home with the green olive leaf 
in her mouth. She began to wave it as a token of 
victory. She exhorted others to come up to a higher 
standard. And as she testified of Jesus' saving power, 
the fire fell, and as John fell as one dead at a glimpse 
of Jesus, on the Isle of Patmos, she fell, though she 
had always been numbered among the orderly, and 
measured her full length on the floor; and as the giant 
oak, uprooted by the mighty storm king, bears down 
many smaller trees in its fall, this sister, overthrown 
by a mighty spiritual gale, in her fall broke the bones 
of the new bonnet of her hitherto loving friend, demol- 
ished her fair fabric of artificials, and carried all, and 
the poor sister's superficial religion in the bargain, down 
into the dust. This of course raised the devil. Faithful 
testimony, holy living, and slaying power always set 
him to roaring. Think not, says the Author of holiness, 
"that I am come to send peace on the earth; I come not 
to send peace, but a sword." Wherever the Apostles 
went and preached, and they preached holiness, his 
Satanic majesty was aroused; divisions were made in the 
Church; multitudes met to discuss the strange doctrine, 
and Pharisees took counsel together for the purpose of 



Slaying Power. 



27 



extinguishing the fire; and they even went so far as to 
put holiness in jail . 

But let us jog back to the old church. The congre- 
gation is dismissed. The sexton turns the key at a 
late hour, saying as he goes, this woman is a setter forth 
of strange doctrines ; our old church has never witnessed 
such scenes before. The two sisters have separated, 
one going from the summit of Mount Tabor, with the 
wine of the kingdom sticking to her lips, the other from 
the valley of Limbo, with a dark cloud upon her brow, 
and a heavy weight upon her heart. As she presses 
out the bruises from her new bonnet, and readjusts 
her artificials, she says, "if such performances are the 
fruit of holiness, may heaven deliver me from it." And 
now Satan whispers, through the lips of a member of 
the Church of Sardis, "this is all wild fire." "Yes," 
says the sister, "I am convinced of it. She may be a 
Christian; I shall not judge her; but hereafter she can 
have my seat to occupy as well as her own." On the 
next Sabbath she betakes herself to the Church of 
Sardis, where minister and people are so destitute of life 
and power as to be unable to raise a quarrel even with 
the world. The newly baptized sister now receives a 
gracious visit from her Leader and Pastor, both heavily 
burdened with a message. They proceed in the most 
approved manner. Their approaches are as regularly and 
carefully planned as in the siege of a towering fortress. 
They employ any number of friction wheels, well fitted 
for service by a plentiful supply of soft soap. But finally 
the germ of the matter is reached. The good sister is 
informed that her exercises are regarded as disreputable, 
and that if persisted in the result would be, To Let would 
be written on many pew doors. But how does she 
endure this fiery trial, this crucifixion at the hands of 
Pharisees and Elders? Alas! she yields to temptation. 



28 Slaying Power. 

She withholds her testimony. Her sun goes down under 
a cloud, and yes, yes, the light that was in her becomes 
gross darkness. And now the sisters are forever separat- 
ed, and without a miracle of grace will sink forever. 

The devil that so carefully guarded the pew doors, 
is cousin-german to the one that proposed to kill Laz- 
arus, whom Jesus raised from the dead; for says he, 
if Lazarus be permitted to go about preaching Christ's 
power over death, the Elder's salary will be diminished, 
the Church will be broken up, and our nation lost. 

Here you see the effects of Satan's cloven foot. You 
see too, how artfully he makes good an instrument of 
evil. The testimony of the Savior's power to cleanse 
from all unrighteousness, is used as a means to distract 
and divide. A sister falls under God's power, and this 
is made the occasion of a great outcry. Did ever a 
devil do a darker deed? The Holy Ghost beareth us 
witness that we had rather meet death on a horse stolen 
from a neighbor's pasture, and run our risk of heaven, 
yes ! yes ! than to be found fighting against these man- 
ifestations of the power of God. In one case we rob a 
man of his horse, in the other we rob God of his glory. 
It was the business of Pharisees in Christ's day to rob 
him of glory, and their posterity are pursuing the same 
calling. It is our earnest prayer that the Church may 
yet have power to cast out these unclean spirits. 



Chapter IV. — The Way Marked Out. 

Patient reader, in the foregoing chapter we have 
presented you with a few of our views on the subject 
we have by the hand; and at the same time have en- 



God's Order. — No Neutrality. 29 

deavored to strip modern fashionable devils of their fig 
leaf coverings, and exhibit them in their native ugliness. 
We are assured that you have only to see Satan as he is, 
to abhor him. By the grace of God, all our ransomed 
powers are pledged, and shall be devoted to expose his 
arts and undermine his power. No compromise with 
Satan, but eternal, exterminating war against him. 

The question to be determined is whether shouting 
and other peculiar exercises are allowable or not, and 
whether under certain circumstances they are not 
positive duties? We maintain the affirmative of both 
these questions; not, however, without qualification 
as to time and circumstances. God is a God of order. 
And now we propose to search diligently to ascertain 
what is the order of God in reference to spiritual mani- 
festations. Let God be true if every croaker's mouth 
be stopped. The apostle prays that the Gospel may 
have free course, run and be glorified; as much as to 
say, clear the track, Pharisees, and velvet-eared pro- 
fessors, whose nerves are so easily excited by the whistle 
of the old Gospel engine, and the shouts and songs 
of the emigrants, as they thunder through vanity fair 
and across the enchanted ground to the celestial city. 
This interpretation of the apostle's words may be doubted 
by some, but we hope to establish its correctness before 
we get through. 

And now, dear reader, let us lock arms and take a 
walk down into Egypt. Perhaps we have not here- 
tofore seen eye to eye, but we have had no quarrel 
thus far. If you are not in favor of noisy demonstra- 
tions and slaying power, under any circumstances, it 
is plain we differ; but we can go pleasantly along not- 
withstanding our differences. One or the other of us 
is in error. Christ knows nothing about neutral terri- 



30 Map of the Route. 

tory. There is no sitting on the fence between Christ 
and Belial. But while we are discussing our differences 
we will try and keep on good terms. 

And now that we have arrived in Egypt, before we 
start upon our journey in search of the strong proofs 
of our position, we will map out the route that we are 
to take. We will follow Moses and the sacramental 
host out of the land of bondage, through the Red Sea, 
passing the smitten rock by the way, and onward towards 
Jordan, where Joshua takes command of the host; we 
will then cross Jordan with Joshua, and go with him 
to Jericho whose walls will be demolished, and study 
astronomy awhile at Gibeon and in the plain of Ajalon 
where the sun and moon stood still until victory perched 
upon Israel's banners; we will then pass on to Jerusa- 
lem and dine with King Solomon in his palace of match- 
less splendor, and worship awhile with him in the 
magnificent temple he erected to God; and then pass 
on through rivers of sacrificial blood and smoke of 
Jewish altars, until we cross the threshold of the Gospel 
dispensation, and see face to face the Divine person 
of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. If we find 
anything in the precepts and practices of holy men of 
old that modern men call wild-fire, we w T ill refer the 
matter to Jesus and let him settle the controversy. 
We will determine, if possible, whether he approves or 
disapproves, endorses or repudiates, and his word shall 
be the end of the argument. And if it should be seen 
that some supposed friends of order, are, after all, 
only modern Uzzahs, endeavoring to steady the ark, 
afraid that God's omnipotence cannot keep it from 
tumbling off the cart, as Dagon of the Philistines from 
his high pedestal, let them heartily repent, and thank 
God that they are not struck dead on the threshing 
floors of our Jerusalems. We mean to abide by the 



Map of the Route. 31 

written word. This is solid Rock. Standing in a cleft 
of the rock, as Moses when he beheld the skirtings of 
the Lord, we mean to pursue and complete the little 
work in which we are engaged. 

But we must hasten on. The train is about to 
move. We will just step into the office and get a ticket, 
and a check for our baggage. It is now the day of 
Pentecost, and the cars are for the first time to take 
the new line, running from the Old to the New Jerusalem. 
We will go by the way of Germany and call on Martin 
Luther and Melancthon; we will touch at Wales and 
dine with Christmas Evans; we will then proceed to 
London and tarry long enough to get well acquainted 
with Whitefield, Fletcher, John and Charles Wesley; 
then we will take ship and cross old ocean to the shores 
of America, and salute Asbury, Coke, Jonathan Edwards 
and others, and be sure to stop and say how do you do 
to Jacob Abbott, father Giles and other pioneers; and 
as we pass westward we will stop and take a dinner of 
bear's meat in the log cabin of J. B. Finley, and have a 
time with jovial Peter Cartwright; and having ended our 
journey, we will open our portfolio and show facts in 
sufficient number to prove that we are maintaining the 
order of God. If the reader is not satisfied, why, then 
we shall give him up and let him learn his error when 
the blast of Gabriel's trump shall be heard by the dead, 
and God himself shall descend with a shout. 

On the journey we shall take special pains to knock 
at the doors of the prophets and holy men in every 
age and ask them, whether shouting aloud, clapping 
of hands, and falling under God's power are in order 
in their times, or whether they perform their daily 
marches with muffled drums and funeral dirges, 
singing— 

"Hark from the tombs a doleful sound." 



32 Gloomy Religion. 

They will respond that if they had their sorrow, they 
had their seasons of great joy; that if they sometimes 
wept, they shouted as frequently. The gloomy reli- 
gion that many rate so highly was never to our taste. 
When we were a small boy, in a certain branch of Zion, 
a Christian's thermometer was his face. The one with 
the longest face was made a Deacon, and the one who 
could testify that he was the greatest sinner on earth 
was made an Elder. The unpardonable sin was for 
a person to say that he knew his sins forgiven and that 
he was a child of God. If his joy rose above zero he 
was pronounced a fanatic, and if his zeal was more than 
lukewarm he was an enthusiast, and his friends 
began to shake their heads dubiously, and talk of 
the asylum. But if a good sister should say in open court 
that she loved the Savior, the gag law was enforced at 
once. We then said in our heart, if this is religion, O 
Lord deliver us from it. We felt as the man on the 
platform of the gallows, who being told he could 
have his choice, to return to his home and live all his 
days with a perpetually scolding wife or be hung by the 
neck, replied, "drop your platform and let me swing." 
We should have been converted long before, if religion 
had not seemed so gloomy an affair. All wish to be 
happy; and when they see Christians who endure instead 
of enjoying religion, whose life is all conflict without 
victory, all wormwood and gall without a single drop 
of the oil of gladness, no wonder they prefer spiritual 
death, just as the person referred to preferred to sleep 
in the tomb rather than be caged with a scolding wife, 
whose tongue, says Solomon, is like the continual drop- 
ping of water. Men will not resign the positive enjoy- 
ments of life for a life compounded of fears, gloom and 
sorrow. But, glory to God, we were not born under that 
star. Our spiritual morning was an Austerlitz. We 



Spiritual Religion. 33 

passed from darkness to a most marvelous light. Our 
captivity was turned back. Our mouth was filled with 
loud laughter, so that we aroused the whole encampment. 
Surely we were not a still-born child if we can judge 
from the laughing and shoutings of our first moments 
in the new life. Deliverance came to our heart about 
one o'clock in the morning of the tenth of August, 1842, 
after a long season of weeping and mourning. It was 
given while sister Catharine Acre was explaining, in a 
conversation of not more than ten minutes, the simplicity 
of faith and the plainness of the way. Thank God! 
John Calvin was not able to give all our sisters the lock- 
jaw. Amen. 

But it is time to close this chapter. We will go as 
proposed and have an introduction to Pharaoh and 
Moses, and tarry awhile with the brethren in the brick- 
yard. 



Chapter V. — Moses and his Mother. 

As Moses and his followers are to be the heroes of 
the next few pages, it will not perhaps be inappropriate 
to sketch a little of their history. 

Egypt had reached its noontide glory. It had nearly 
reached, too, the summit of its iniquity. Its cup of 
wickedness was just ready to overflow. There was a 
gathering storm of Divine wrath, soon to burst like a 
tornado on the land, but the haughty king and his 
courtiers did not perceive it. They were confident in 
their strength. Abundance crowned their fertile soil, 
and they exulted in the extent and strength of their 
cities. Pharaoh reposed in seeming security in his 
proud capital. Its stately domes raise their heads to 



34 Glory of Egypt 

the clouds, the golden terraces of which gracefully toss 
back the rays of an oriental sun, as if saying, this glory 
belongs to Thee, O King of day. Their temples, indeed, 
point toward heaven, but they are scenes of impious 
worship. And while superstition is enshrined in the 
temple, vices, like giants of ancient legends, parade 
the streets and receive universal obedience. And see 
the proud old slaveholding king as he passes along with 
his train. They sweep the whole side walk, like our 
American slaveholders for all the world, and crowd 
common folks into the ditch, if they are not fortunate 
enough to dodge off into some alley. But how soon 
will all this grandeur vanish. Divine stratagem will 
lead the nation into an ambuscade, from which there 
can be no escape, where monarch and subject will be 
overwhelmed and destroyed together. 

Our way leads to the banks of the Nile where scenes 
of greatest moment are transpiring. There stands 
a Hebrew mother, pressing to her heaving bosom a 
comely child. It is a plump, curly headed boy, whose 
beauty is the promise of his future greatness. How 
rapidly her tears fall, baptizing the cheeks of the little 
slumbering one. Bitter, scalding tears she sheds. Her 
sole is an iEtna of sighs and sorrows. No time for 
shouting now. Only savages would raise the song of 
joy at such a time as this. It is a time to weep. The 
tyrant seeks the life of every Hebrew man-child. For 
three months has this mother with wonderful sagacity 
concealed her loved one; but she can do it no longer. 
She must see it coldly murdered or given to the 
care of Providence. She prefers to trust God. And 
now she builds a frail ark of bulrushes, sets it afloat 
with its precious burden, and commends it to the Divine 
protection with earnest prayers. 



Ark of Rushes. — Trust in Providence. 35 

Reader, are you a mother? Have you ever adjusted 
the tiny coffin pillow for your innocent babe, whose 
rosy cheek has paled, whose life has stolen away, leaving 
you only the cold marble brow to kiss? If so, you can 
sympathize with this mother, in her lonely walks and 
hours of anguish. 

A fairer picture of entire trust in God was never drawn 
even by the pencil of inspiration. How tenderly she 
lays the little treasure down in the frail vessel, her heart 
well-nigh breaking as she sees a tear gathering on his 
cheek like a dew-drop on a rose ; but she hears the heavy 
tread of the sentinel, quickly shuts down the lid, leaves 
the precious cargo on the stream, and hurries to her 
home, bedewing the earth with her tears and stirring 
heaven with her cries. She goes to her closet, there 
pouring out her sorrows to Him whose sympathies are 
stirred even by the gasping of a sparrow, shot by the 
cunning archer. But her sorrow is to be turned to joy. 
God has sent the king's daughter to the banks of the 
river. She has found the babe, she has made it her 
own, and now applies to his mother to become his nurse 
Was there ever a happier providence than this? She 
holds her boy in her arms again. She had trusted God, 
and now the child was restored. Again she shed tears, 
but not scalding tears of grief. It is a shower in sun- 
shine. She shouts aloud; she leaps for joy. And as 
she remembers that she holds in her arms the heir 
apparent of the throne of Egypt, another tide of glory 
rolls upon her and she falls under its power. Ah, 
Jochebed, some of the orderly ones will think you are 
a little too wild in your ecstacy. Away with criticism 
at a time like this ! It is a time to rejoice. The rapture 
that filled the soul of this mother cannot talk in the 
ordinary language of life. Extraordinary joys can be 



36 Strong Cords. 

manifested only in an extraordinary manner. The 
louder she shouted the more becoming she acted. 

The strongest chord on earth is the love of a mother 
to her infant ; but a stronger one is the love of God to 
man. "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that 
she should not have compassion on the son of her womb?" 
Yea she may forget. But the annals of three worlds 
are defied to prove that God has forgotten one that 
trusted in him. The names of his children are all 
engraven on the palms of his hands by the soldier's 
spikes, and upon his heart by the soldier's spear. 

Heart rending indeed must it have been for the 
Hebrew mother to push off the little helmless ark with 
its precious freight upon the treacherous waters; and 
how hard has it been for many a mother to close the 
eyes of her child, and cast it in the waters of Jordan. 
How hard must it have been for Abraham to take his 
Isaac, the fair child of promise, and start upon a three 
days' journey, to find the place where he was to sacrifice 
him upon an altar. How must his heart have bled 
as the knife glittered in the sunlight which was to be 
sheathed in his tender bosom, and as he thought of the 
fire which was to consume his body, and the winds which 
were to play with his ashes on the summit of Mount 
Moriah. But the blade was turned away from Isaac, and 
drank the blood of Jesus. Abraham had learned that 
it was God's province to command, man's to obey; and 
by his obedience he obtained the honorable appellation, 
Father of the Faithful. His faith was made perfect by 
his works. And now he returns with a new exhibition 
of the Divine faithfulness. He finds it is safe to trust 
God. And if Jochebed was filled with joy when a watch- 
ful Providence restored her child to her arms, how must 
Sarah have felt when Abraham told her the story and 
object of his journey, and restored the beloved Isaac to 



Disconsolate Mothers. — Finley's Vision. 37 

her embraces. Were there no tears of joy? no shouts 
of triumph? Ah! says the patriarch, this was the sun- 
niest hour of my life. My limbs were invigorated with 
new life and made as supple as a boy of sixteen, so that 
I leaped like a roebuck on the mountain. 

But here is a disconsolate mother who cannot precisely 
see the application of all this, and she inquires, when 
shall I embrace my little one again? It will not come 
to you on earth, but you may go to it in heaven. Do you 
not see the gospel ladder? It stands at your feet and 
its topmost round reaches heaven. There are three 
rounds, faith, hope, and love, and angels are const anly 
ascending and descending to conduct mothers to their 
children in the abodes of bliss — the homes of their never 
forgotten little ones. 

For the comfort of the bereaved mothers of earth, we 
will introduce a vision of Rev. J. B. Finley, related in 
his Autobiography: — 

"It was in the summer of 1842. Worn down with 
"fatigue, I was completing my last round of quarterly 
"meetings, and winding up the labors of a very toil- 
"some year. I had scarcely finished my work till I 
"was most violently attacked with bilious fever, and 
"it was with great difficulty I reached home. The 
"disease had taken so violent a hold on my system 
"that I sank rapidly under its power. Everything 
"that kind attention and medical skill could impart 
"was resorted to, to arrest its ravages; but all was in 
"vain, and my life was despaired of. On the seventh 
"night, in a state of entire insensibility to all around 
"me, when the last ray of hope had departed, and my 
"weeping family and friends were standing around 
"my couch waiting to see me breathe my last, it seemed 
"to me that a heavenly visitant entered my room. 
"It came to my side, and, in the softest and most sil- 



$8 Finley's Vision. 

"very tones, which fell like rich music upon my ear, 
"it said, 'I have come to conduct you to another state 
"and place of existence.' In an instant I seemed to 
"rise, and, gentle borne by my angel guide, I floated 
"out upon the ambient air. Soon earth was lost in the 
"distance, and around us, on every side, were worlds 
"of light and glory. On, on, away, away from world 
"to luminous worlds afar, we sped with the velocity 
"of thought. At length we reached the gates of par- 
"adise; and O, the transporting scenes that fell upon 
"my vision as the emerald portals, wide and high, 
"rolled back upon their golden hinges! Then, in its 
"fullest extent, did I realize the invocation of the poet: 

" ' Burst, ye emerald gates, and bring 

' ' To my raptured vision 
"All the ecstatic joys that spring 

"Round the bright Elysian." 

"Language, however, is inadequate to describe what 
"then, with unvailed eyes, I saw. The vision is in- 
"delibly pictured on my heart. Before me, spread 
"out in beauty, was a broad sheet of water, clear as 
"crystal, not a single ripple on its surface, and its pu~ 
"rity and clearness indescribable. On each side of 
"this lake, or river, rose up the most tall and beautiful 
"trees, covered with all manner of fruit, and flowers, 
"the brilliant hues of which were reflected in the bosom 
"of the placid river. 

"While I stood gazing with joy and rapture at the 
"scene, a convoy of angels was seen floating in the 
"pure ether of that world. They all had long wings, 
"and, although they went with the greatest rapidity, 
"yet their wings were folded close by their side. While 
"I gazed I asked my guide w T ho they were, and what 
"their mission. To this he responded, 'They are angels, 



Finley's Vision. 39 

'dispatched to the world from whence you came on 
'an errand of mercy.' I could hear strains of the most 
'entrancing melody all around me, but no one was 
'discoverable but my guide. At length I said, 'Will 
'it be possible for me to have a sight of some of the 
'just made perfect in glory?' Just then there 
'came before us three persons; one had the appearance 
'of a male, the other a female, and the third an infant. 
'The appearance of the first two was somewhat similar 
'to the angels I saw, with the exception that they had 
'crowns upon their heads of the purest yellow, and 
'harps in their hands. Their robes, which were full 
'and flowing, were of the purest white. Their counte- 
' nances were lighted up with a heavenly radiance, and 
'they smiled upon me with ineffable sweetness. 

"There was nothing with which the blessed babe or 
'child could be compared. It seemed to be about 
'three feet high. Its wings, which were long and most 
'beautiful, were tinged with all the colors of the rainbow. 
'Its dress seemed to be of the whitest silk, covered with 
'the softest white down. The driven snow could not 
'excel it for whiteness and purity. Its face was all 
'radiant with glory; its very smile now plays around my 
'heart. I gazed and gazed with wonder upon this 
'heavenly child. At length I said. 'If I have to return 
'to earth, from whence I came, I should love to take 
'this child with me, and show it to the weeping mothers 
'of earth. Methinks, when they see it, they will never 
'shed another tear over their children when they die.' 
'So anxious was I to carry out the desire of my heart, 
'that I made a grasp at the bright and beautiful one, 
'desiring to clasp it in my arms, but it eluded my grasp, 
'and plunged into the river of life. Soon it arose up 
'from the waters, and as the drops fell from its expanding 
'wings, they seemed like diamonds, so brightly did they 



40 Finley's Vision. 

"sparkle. Directing its course to the other shore, it 
"flew up to one of the topmost branches of one of life's 
"fair trees. With a look of most seraphic sweetness 
"it gazed upon me, and then commenced singing in 
"heaven's own strains, 'To him that hath loved me, 
"and washed me from my sins in his own blood, to 
"him be glory both now and forever. Amen.' At 
"that moment the power of the eternal God came upon 
"me, and I began to shout, and, clapping my hands, 
"I sprang from my bed, and was healed as instantly 
"as the lame man in the beautiful porch of the temple, 
"who 'went walking, and leaping, and praising God.' 
"Overwhelmed with the glory I saw and felt, I could 
"not cease praising God. The next Sabbath I was at 
"camp meeting, filled with the love and power of God. 
"There I told the listening thousands what I saw and 
"felt, and what God had done for me, and loud were 
"the shouts of glory that reverberated through the for- 
"ests." 

How much is embraced in the little monosyllable, 
trust. There is grace enough in it to freight a larger 
vessel than the steamship Leviathan. Trust! it is an 
ocean in a dew-drop, a millennium in a moment. When 
Dr. Payson was dying he was asked if it was not hard 
to leave his children. He replied, when you were a 
little boy were you afraid to leave your toys in the 
care of your parent until you returned from school? 
"Blessed are all they that put their trust in him." 

But we must stop. There is no end to this theme. 
It takes us above the stars, and sets us down amid 
the shouts of the redeemed, in the mansions of eternal 
blessedness. So we will close this chapter by singing 
an appropriate Hymn. 



Pinley's Vision. 41 



HE DOETH ALL THINGS WELL. 



I remember how I loved her, when a little guiltless child 
I saw her in the cradle, as she look'd on me and smiled; 
My cup of happiness was full, my joy words cannot tell, 
And I blessed the glorious Giver, who doeth all things well. 

Months pass'd — that bud of promise was unfolding every hour, 

I thought earth had never smiled upon a fairer flower; 

So beautiful, it well might grace the bower where angels 

dwell, 
And waft its fragrance to His throne who doeth all things well. 

Years fled — that little sister then was dear as life to me; 
She awoke in my unconscious heart a wild idolatry; 
I worshipp'd at an earthly shrine, lured by some magic spell, 
Forgetful of the praise of Him who doeth all things well. 

She was the lovely star whose light around my pathway shone 
Amid this darksome vale of tears, through which I journeyed on; 
Its radiance had obscured the light which round His throne doth 

dwell, 
And I wander' d far away from Him who doeth all things well. 

That star went down in beauty, yet it shineth sweetly now 

In the bright and dazzling coronet that decks the Savior's 

brow ; 
She bow'd to the Destroyer, whose shafts none may repel, 
But we know, for God has told us, he doeth all things well. 

I remember well my sorrow, as I stood beside her bed, 

And my deep and heartfelt anguish, when then they told me she 

was dead; 
But, O! that cup of bitterness, let not my heart rebel, 
God gave, he took, he will restore — he doeth all things well. 



42 Unusual Employment. — Moses' Commission. 



Chapter VI. — The Plagues of Egypt. 

And now to get along with the story as rapidly as 
possible, we will take a forty year's nap down in some 
sleepy hollow, like Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle, 
and see where the world will be when we wake up. 
Well, here we are again, up and dressed. We have had 
a seemingly short, but very refreshing sleep. And now 
how are the world's affairs shaping? What has become 
of the little Moses? He is now forty years old, full six 
feet in his stockings, and well proportioned, and well 
skilled in all the learning of the Egyptians. But what is 
it he is doing? He seems to be engaged in a very un- 
usual kind of employment. In his hands he holds 
a pair of balances. In one scale he is putting the wealth, 
the honors, the dazzling glories, and glittering crown 
of Egypt; in the other, the associations and afflictions 
of God's people together with the recompense of reward 
in the world of glory. The scale turns, and he is identi- 
fied with the humble laborers of the brick yard, and 
turns his back on the abundance and splendors of Egypt. 

The next thing we see of him he is rusticating forty 
years on the mountains of Midian, preparing for the 
hardships of his subsequent eventful life. God's ap- 
pointed hour has come. He stands barefooted on holy 
ground, and listens tremblingly to the voice of God 
from the burning bush. I have heard, says God, in 
heaven my dwelling place, of the afflictions of my people, 
their sighs and tears, their groans and prayers, and have 
come to deliver them from the proud oppressor. Go to 
the haughty slave holder, and say to him in my name, let 
this oppressed people go. He accomplishes his mission. 



Exodus Chap. m. 

GOD appears to MoyTes in a burning bufll 




Exodus 3 Verfe 2. 

^S^jruOfnc cunacl ' oyUic L.ORD apz- 



Exodus Chap, vdl 

The plague of Ftoqs. 




Exodus 8. Verfe 6 



fs/,/f/r a 



The Plagues of Egypt. 43 

The haughty monarch turns turkey red, and aslcs, who 
is God ? is there any prince that dare interfere with my 
decrees? are there any laws superior in authority to my 
laws ? How like the Senators of the slaveholding South 
when one of their peers arose in his place and said there 
was a higher law than the constitution. In their wrath 
they responded, who dare interfere with our reserved 
rights of making chattels of men and women ? and making 
them lie down in mud holes, that ourselves and children 
may pass over dry shod. Moses as well as Seward was 
a higher law man. He meant to show the world, and 
Pharaoh in the bargain, that God and one man were a 
majority. And now see how soon one withering look 
of God, will dim the glory and blast the hopes of un- 
godly individuals or nations. The river Nile, its crystal 
waters agitated by its finny inhabitants, who were sport- 
ing in the exuberance of their joy, like children at a Sab- 
bath School picnic in the wood, when Moses stretches 
his rod over it, becomes a stagnant pool of blood, and 
the fishes float like dead backsliders on the surface. — 
Again he stretches forth his rod, and filthy, slippery 
frogs intrude themselves, like the temptations of Chris- 
tians, into every dwelling, from the hovel to the palace, 
leaping into the very bread trough, and polluting every 
chamber. Again, his rod is stretched forth, and there 
is throughout the land a stench like that of sacrifices 
offered to God without faith and good works. Upon 
the heels of this visitation there come battalions of 
vermin and locusts, like the army of Blucher, marching 
to the music of heaven's artillery, and the flashings of 
Divine wrath. An awful night enveloped Egypt. 
Fearful thunderings paled every cheek, and the fitful 
corruscations of electric light rendered the darkness 
more oppressive. 



44 Too much Noise. — Funeral Scene. 

But hold on says a Pharisee, there is too much noise 
and confusion! This cannot be God's order! Hold 
says a sister I am too nervous and sensitive to endure 
so much commotion. Why so much racket to awaken 
a hardened old sinner, and make him let go his hold 
on downtrodden Israel! Why could not the work be 
done in a more quiet and deliberate manner! But 
there is yet more to come. The revival has but just 
commenced. The arrows are just beginning to rankle. 
The mourners bench is now to be presented. Through 
the darkness so thick that it could be felt, were heard 
loud lamentations. Reader were you ever at a funeral 
where the first born son, the hope and staff of the father, 
and the joy of the loving mother, lay in front of the 
pulpit? The preacher unveils futurity in his sermon, 
portraying the reward ot the righteous and the doom 
of the wicked; in his address to the mourning ones he 
breaks up the great deep of the heart with the gospel 
plough; and now the undertaker removes the coffin lid, 
and father and mother, brother and sister, take their 
last look upon the loved one whose life has flown, whose 
eye once sparkled with intelligence, and whose cheek 
was once robed in beauty; and now they pass to the 
tomb burdening the air with their sighs, and from there 
to the now desolate home. The rocky hearts of infidels 
have been touched by scenes like this, and have min- 
gled their tears with the bereaved, as Jesus did with 
the sisters of Bethany. Now gather together hundreds 
of thousands of funeral groups, with their woes and 
wailings, and you may have some idea of Egypt's fearful 
night of weeping. The angel of death has passed swiftly 
from dwelling to dwelling. The first born throughout 
Egypt are slain. And now wailings loud and prolonged 
break the awful stillness. 



Universalist. — Come Out. 45 

The angel has shot his last arrow, and is about to 
rejoin the celestial choir, when he is caught by the 
arm by a Universalist who cries in his ear — partiality, 
your God is a partial God. Why not enter the humble 
cottages of the Hebrews ? In Goshen we hear no wailing, 
but there is a bright light shining through the lattice 
of every window. There is not a sick or feeble one 
among the two millions of God's chosen. — They are all 
awake, with staves in their hands, their loins girt about; 
and are feasting on the roasted lamb with bitter herbs. 
All look like minute men of war, every moment expecting 
orders to march. But the messenger of God answers, 
my commission reads thus: "Thus saith the Lord, say 
ye unto the righteous it shall be well with him, but woe 
unto the wicked it shall be ill with him." 

The voice of the Captain of the Lord's host is now 
heard, come ye out from among them and be ye sep- 
arate, and speedily a solid column of two millions, 
with cattle and equipages march over the plains with 
their faces toward the promised land. And now as 
we are safely out of Egypt, we feel like shouting glory 
to God, hallelujah to Him that hath delivered us from 
the power of the old slave holder, shivering in pieces 
his oppressive yoke. But I see you are something 
like an inflated balloon, twisting and screwing, with 
your handkerchief crammed into your mouth. See 
the man! He withdraws his handkerchief, and 
sponges up the tears that overflow the banks of his 
cheeks, and says, it would be a great relief to me, if I 
could raise the valve, and give a few locomotive yells. 
It would ease up this inward pressure amazingly. 
But then what will folks say about it. You know the 
church I belong to is opposed to shouting, and I am 
thereby prevented from giving God glory for delivering 
power, 



46 West India Emancipation. 

A few years ago when old England resolved to 
give back the freedom which had been stolen from 
their colored population, meetings were appointed in 
the mission houses for all the slaves on the last night 
of their bondage. Five minutes before twelve it was 
arranged that all should fall on their knees and remain 
in profound silence, the heart meanwhile pouring out 
its gratitude to God for their deliverance, until the clock 
should strike the midnight hour. Now transpired a 
scene of awful grandeur. Twenty thousand slaves in 
five minutes were to be free men. But before the 
tardy minute hand stood plumb on the old clock, they 
seemed to stretch forth their hand in advance of time, 
broke off some of the boughs of the tree of liberty, as Chris- 
tians do from the tree of life, and regaled themselves with 
its delicious fruit, so that silence was broken by screams 
and bursts of laughter and half-smothered shouts; but 
when the old clock drew back her hammer and struck 
the first blow, it broke every fetter, and unloosed every 
tongue, and was the signal for the clapping of glad hands, 
and shouts that rent the heavens. All, from the little 
prattler to hoary headed grandsires, joined the triumph- 
ant shout. Who can say this was disorder? — who with 
a free heart in his own bosom can say here was too much 
noise? When fathers, mothers, children, who had been 
torn asunder, leap into each other's embrace, and all 
find shelter under the widespreading branches of the 
tree of liberty, it is a time to sing, and clap their hands 
and shout. 

But the deliverance celebrated by their joyful ac- 
clamations, was only temporal. What is the temporal 
to the deliverance of the soul from the bondage of sin? 
What chaff is to the wheat. And what are natural 
in comparison to spiritual joys? And while the Hebrew 
and the African are permitted to shout their deliverance, 



Spiritual Freedom. 47 

shall the Christian put his joy in the dungeon of his 
heart, and not allow it to see the light of day? It is 
natural for joy to show itself by outward demonstrations, 
God intended that the Christian should exult, and 
manifest his exultation. The Christian ought to be, and 
appear to be, the happiest man this side of heaven. 
Shame and confusion to those who would spike our 
cannon and put out our torch-lights. 



Chapter VII. — Israel's First Trial. 

We are now safely out of Egypt. Let us now take 
our Gospel rakes and as we pass over the ground, gather 
up the wheat by the way ; and we will invite sister Ruth 
to go along with us, to pick up the scattering heads so 
that nothing may be lost. 

How striking the likeness between nature, and the op- 
erations of providence and grace. But it is just what 
we might have expected. It is one God that gives 
birth to all things. The God that delivered the Is- 
raelites from Egyptian bondage, delivers the soul from 
the bondage of sin. It is interesting to observe the 
analogy between the two cases. Satan is the monarch, 
the Pharaoh, that sits enthroned in the hearts of un- 
godly men. The temples of Egypt were crowded with 
idols and idolatrous worshippers; and so is the unre- 
generate heart full of idolatry. Self, in which Satan 
enshrines himself, is the chief idol. Then come the 
subordinate gods, the lust of the eye, the lust of the 
flesh, and the pride of life. These are three slavedrivers, 
like the task-masters under Pharaoh, who required 
the tale of brick every night, straw or no straw. We 



48 Providence and Grace. 

talk about the southern slavedrivers, and burn with 
indignation as we hear the slaves, cries around the 
auction block, or when the lash is applied; but what 
of these task-masters and the woes they occasion? 
What a tyrant is the lust of the eye! How he lashes 
his votaries over the fields, and through the mire, storm 
and sun, to procure a three-story freestone front, or to 
decorate the body like a peacock strutting in the poultry 
yard! And the lust of the flesh. Like the horse leech, 
it sucks the very life blood of virtue and innocence, 
disgorges itself into the grave, and constantly clamors 
for more. Then comes the pride of life, as tall in his 
own estimation as Trinity steeple. He thinks that 
God has made him, and his kinsmen, from the finest 
and costliest flour, and the balance of creation from 
the middlings or bran. All must bow to his sceptre 
or break; and there are slavish spirits enough to do it. 
How marvelous to see the obsequiousness of men to 
the devil and his drivers. They hug their chains just 
as mothers do their babies. 

The difficulties of Moses, as leader, were greatly 
augmented by the earthly disposition and tendencies 
of the Israelites. When Christ comes to the temple 
of the heart, and begins to upset their tables and break 
in pieces their idols, he is desired to depart, just as the 
Gergesenes desired him to leave their coasts when he 
permitted the devils cast out of their neighbors to enter 
into their swine, which resulted in the loss of their 
property. How frequently it is that every earthly 
hope must be blasted, before even a mourning soul 
will leave its Goshen of sin, and follow some Moses 
out of the house of bondage. The case of the author 
is one of this kind. The drawings of the Spirit and 
the beseechings of friends were not sufficient to win 
us from spiritual idolatry. Our first-born was then 



At Migdol. 49 

snatched away. We were then led to the brink of 
Jordan, and shaken over the gulf. Then our worldly 
goods were scattered to the four winds. And finally, 
to complete our calamities, the world with all its beauties 
was concealed from us forever, by an incurable blindness. 
Here was thick darkness, thick enough to be felt, tem- 
poral and spiritual. But, glory to God, we soon saw 
the gray twilight of a spiritual morning, and as we 
steadfastly looked, the sun of righteousness began to 
show the upper edge of its golden rim above the calm sea 
of life, and soon our darkness was dissipated, and soul 
and body seemed like the burning bush on the high 
cliffs of Midian. The world, the flesh, and the devil 
were now under our feet. Our mouth was filled with 
loud laughter and shouts of praise, and like Bunyan's 
pilgrim, we took three leaps towards Mount Zion. And 
now we are marching with our Hebrew brethren to the 
promised land. May God keep us from falling out by 
the way. 

Well, we are here, at Migdol, the place where the 
host are to encamp. The king of day is beginning 
to draw his golden tinged curtains, and preparing to 
retire for the night. It is now time for the host to 
arrive, and we will take our stand where we can see 
the companies coming in. We see here a band of one 
thousand, with all their cattle and camp equipage; 
they have pitched their tent, larger than any circus 
or fair tent you ever saw, sufficient to accommodate 
the entire band; and they have stationed their flocks 
and herds near. One such band as that would be an 
imposing sight to the inhabitants of the country. We 
look again and see one hundred such bands with all 
their appendages, and we exclaim how magnificent 
the spectacle! But what will you say, Reader, when 
we tell you that we have shown you but one twentieth 



50 Fugitive Slave Law. 

of the whole ? And here they are, two millions of people, 
all snugly settled for the night. A vast army indeed! 
and all are exulting in newly found freedom. They 
are no longer laborers in a brick-yard, but the chosen 
of God. 

But now comes an hour of trial. They are in a critical 
position; and when they hear the thundering tread 
of forty thousand war horses, they become aware of 
their danger. Pharaoh is on their track. Here are 
the practical workings of the first fugitive slave law. 
He cannot afford to lose so many smart hands. And 
now the fugitive camp is filled with consternation. 
Husbands and wives embrace each other as they suppose 
for the last time. The aged sire prepares himself for 
his expected fate. Mothers are imprinting kiss after kiss 
upon the soft cheeks of the infants whom they expect 
to see crushed beneath the ponderous wheels of Pharaoh's 
chariot. The earth is moistened as with dew by the 
tears that are shed, and the voice of murmurings ming- 
ling with their sighings, rolls through the valleys and up 
the mountain sides, like the sound of many waters. Ah ! 
what a weight of fear and regret has settled down on 
the camp of Israel. This is no time for joyous demon- 
strations. It is a time for weeping and sorrow. The 
first temptation has come. God was going to deliver 
but he has led them where they are in their enemy's 
power. The Red Sea is before them, on either hand are 
impassable mountains, and behind them is a relentless 
and powerful pursuer. Their faith falters, and they 
are in despair. But now the purposes of God are to 
be manifested, and his people are to be rescued from 
their critical position. Moses stands forth and says, 
"Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the 
Lord, which he will show you to-day, for the Egyptians 
whom ye have seen to-day ye shall see no more forever. 



Night of Weeping. 51 

The Lord shall fight for you and ye shall hold your 
peace." And now we will leave them for a little, waiting 
with trembling hearts for the promised salvation. 

How similar to this is the experience of the truly 
converted. How happy are they to think that they 
are out of Egypt. But temptation comes. Satan, 
the severe task-master, pursues. And perhaps the 
soul in its bitterness will regret that it has left Egypt, 
just as Israel did in his hour of trial. It is forgotten 
that through tribulation deep, the way to glory runs. 
But there is many a Moses to cry out, "Stand still, 
and see the salvation of the Lord." If troubles are 
as numerous as Pharaoh's minions we will not fear; 
God will help us, and that right early. 



Chapter VIII. — Crossing the Red Sea. 

The darkest time is often just before the break of 
day. The battle always precedes the victory. The 
night of weeping goes before the morning of rejoicing. 
Call down from the realms of glory, one of the many 
millions there, clothed in white raiment, and who went 
there through great tribulation, and ask him how many 
battles he fought on earth. He will answer ten thou- 
sand. Ask him how many victories he gained, and he 
will reply, ten thousand and one. The last enemy 
he measured swords with was death, whom he met and 
conquered in the name of Jesus. One more triumph, 
then trial; one more day of joy, then a night of sorrow; 
and the last day an eternity of bliss. 

We left our brethren and sisters in the last chapter 
under sore trials. They were in heaviness through 



52 Young Converts. 

manifold temptations, in order that the trial of their 
faith might be found unto the praise of their God. 
God's ways are not as our ways in the government of 
his family. We sometimes chastise our children be- 
cause they make a noise; but God often chastises his 
children to cause them to make a noise — the noise of 
weeping and penitential agonies. How like an affec- 
tionate mother, who hides behind the door, and rejoices 
to see her little one in sorrow and tears, searching for 
her in every corner of the house, refusing to be comforted 
until it finds her; but when the little one is about to 
lay down in despair and cry itself to sleep, she shows 
her smiling face, the tears are all kissed away, and an 
infant millennium has begun. Our heavenly Father 
often suffers his children to run into difficulties, that 
he may have an opportunity of helping them out. It is 
hardly possible to make us sensible of his willingness 
and ability to save, in any other way. The physician's 
skill could never be known if no one was ever sick. 
Our benevolent feelings could never be known if there 
were no suffering poor on earth. And the compassion 
of the Savior could never be realized were there no sin 
and sorrow in the world. 

"With pitying eyes the Prince of Peace 
Beheld our helpless grief; 
He saw, and Oh! amazing love! 
He flew to our relief." 

But it is time for us to look after the young converts 
in the wilderness. Let us go back and see how the battle 
goes. They have neither horses nor chariots, battle- 
bow or spear. They are as lambs pursued by a pack of 
wolves. It was night when we left them; the moon 
and stars were concealed by dark clouds; and so were 
all their bright hopes darkened in a moment. But 



Morning of Joy. — Shaft of Fire. 53 

now we are to behold another scene. All are sleeping 
sweetly as infants in their cradles. All tears have been 
wiped away. The camp is as light as day. Oh! wonder 
of wonders! What a spectacle is before us! A shaft 
of mellow, heavenly light, at least two miles square, 
based on the earth and reaching up to the heavens. A 
lady once told us that the most magnificent sight she 
ever beheld, was the burning of the Presbyterian Church 
in Utica. The flames bursting out of the lower windows, 
enveloping the whole building, and finally running up 
the lofty steeple, made an unspeakably grand pillar of 
fire. For miles around, a pin could be picked up or 
the finest print read at the midnight hour. Thus was 
it in the canvas city of Israel. God was there, the 
refuge of his people, and his glory blazed with unsur- 
passed brilliancy. On this ground were experienced 
their first night of weeping and their first morning of 
rejoicing. 

Reader, if Moses could pause and wonder as he gazed 
on the burning bush, may we not profitably tarry awhile 
and behold the glory of God? St. John has truly said 
that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all, and 
that if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have 
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus, his 
son, cleanseth us from all unrighteousness; and again 
he says, God is love, as well as light, and they that 
dwell in God, dwell in love; and now, dear reader, if you 
have been purified by this blood, take our arm, and let 
us enter into this pillar of fire — of light and love. This 
is the holy of holies. Here we may inhale the breath 
of God. Was there ever such a promenade permitted 
mortals before? Yes. Enoch, and millions more, have 
enjoyed it. Here the king is seen in his beauty. Here, 
too, is the secure dwelling place, the munition of rocks. 
The spiritual senses are delighted, and the soul is tran- 



54 Safe Sleeping. — "Go Forward." 

quil in its assurance of perfect security. When the angel 
rolled away the stone from the sepulchre of Christ, he 
sat down upon it with folded pinions, and defied the 
powers of darkness to roll it back ; and now the prisoner 
of hope may escape from the cold embrace of spiritual 
death, and reach the secure and charming abodes of 
the forever blest. 

Sweetly and serenely sleep the chosen people. And 
now the morning approaches. The venerable father 
as he arises, says to his wife and children, banish all 
fear, Pharaoh must first overcome omnipotence, and 
corrupt Divine faithfulness, before he can harm one of 
us. Glory to God, the Shepherd that watches over 
Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps. And now comes the 
king of day. The mountain summits are tinged 
with gold, and have on their court dress, awaiting the 
glorious monarch. How brightly he smiles on the earth, 
and how quickly darkness vanishes into deep mountain 
caverns. And now, 

The camp *s to move on, 
And the priests with their trumpets do blow, 

Then all that would stand 

On their promised land, 
Must take up their baggage and go. 

Every tent is now struck. Each tribe rallies around 
its own standard. Judah is the vanguard. Now the 
vast pillar, which is a fire in the night and a cloud in 
the day, rises majestically, passes over the host and the 
sea, and sits on the opposite shore, as if saying to the 
vast army, come over and pitch your tents on this side 
the sea. A strange direction, indeed. More strange 
than the command of Christ to Peter to step out on 
the boisterous waves. The infidel may shrug his 
shoulders and say, that God is a hard master; this is 
an unreasonable requirement; for how can so great a 



Sea Divided. 55 

host pass the sea without so much as a skiff? But a 
voice from heaven says to all unbelievers, "Be still, 
and know that I am God." This is the day when God 
is to reap honors for himself, — a day never to be for- 
gotten by Israel. And now the command of God 
comes through Moses, to go forward. All looked with 
wonder and awe at the movement of the vast symbol 
of the Divine presence — and now their perplexity is 
increased by the orders received from their general. 
They say, what is to be done? If we remain here, 
Pharaoh will soon be upon us, and we shall be destroyed 
or re-enslaved; if we go forward we shall be drowned. 
But these questions were soon settled. Their faith 
pointed toward the sea, just as the disturbed magnet 
soon settles and points to the north. Forward they 
went, the sea divided and gave them a safe passage, and 
they were soon securely encamped under the directing 
and protecting cloud. Not a single lamb was lost, and 
all were happy. 

But what of Pharaoh and his host? They continue 
in their madness the pursuit. He is bound that the 
fugitive slave law shall be enforced. But all fugitive 
slave laws are now to receive an everlasting rebuke. 
There is an angel at the hub of every chariot pulling the 
linchpins out. The wheels roll off, and the chariots 
drag in the mud. Glory to God for that. Oh! Lord, 
pull the linchpins out of every slaveholder's chariot — 
let them drag in the mud, — and, finally, with Pharaoh 
and his host, be sunk in the bottom of the sea. Amen! 

Reader, if you have truly passed from death unto 
life, and from the power of Satan unto God, you have 
passed through scenes similar to those described ; im- 
passable mountains on either hand, a sea in front, and 
a raging enemy in the rear. But you obtained deliv- 
erance. The rod of faith was stretched over the sea, 
the liquid elements became solid rock, like the sides 



56 Sea Divided. 

of Christ's sepulchre, you passed with ease and safety, 
and was baptized on your passage under the cloud 
of the divine presence. Satan pursues, but his over- 
throw is certain. Every victory of the Christian is a 
defeat to him; and when Christ shall lead the sacra- 
mental host to the celestial city, the enemy and pur- 
suer of saints will be cast into a hell deeper than the 
Red Sea. 



CHAPTER IX. 
Passage of the Red Sea Celebrated. 

You say we have been having a rather noisy time. 
Many tears have been shed, many groans have been 
uttered, and occasionally there has been a shout, and 
some other extraordinary things, since we started. — 
You hope that after all this the excitement of the re- 
vival will cease; that as the Devil is drowned all will 
settle down in peace and quietude. Well, for your 
comfort, we have to tell you if you are a Pharisee and 
hate noise, that you need not take the cotton out of 
your ears yet; if Pharaoh and his host were destroyed 
as ignominiously as the swine of the Gergesenes, the 
Devil is yet alive; and be it known unto you, that 
Christians have not yet done shouting and singing. 

Let us look again into the camp. Ah! every face 
is illuminated with joy. But says a Universalist, how 
can they rejoice when so many fellow creatures lie in 
the depths of the sea ! How can we be happy in heaven 
and remember that human beings are in torment ! The 
people of God did not put crape on their hats, or door 
knobs, but rejoiced as they saw their enemies, and the 
enemies of God overwhelmed. And now they prepare 




MIRIAM AND THE WOMEN DANCING. 



Triumphant Songs. 57 

for a jubilee. The whole camp is stirring. Ten thou- 
sand timbrels and harps, with two millions of voices are 
heard in sacred song. Gladness displaces sorrow. The 
notes of joy and shouts of victory, roll along the valleys, 
leap over mountain barriers, and ascend to the heavens. 
"Sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumped gloriously ; the 
horse and the rider hath he thrown into the sea. The 
Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my 
salvation." 

But we see some, with faces a fathom long, reaching 
for their hats, muttering as they go out, disorder and 
confusion, no place for meditation and prayer. Hold 
a moment. If we gain a victory it ought to be cele- 
brated. Wait a moment, brother, we have a few more 
nuts for you to crack. Scripture says there is a time 
to mourn and a time to dance. We have had, on our 
route, occasion for deep mourning, for bitter tears; this 
all will admit; and this is the order of God. But must 
a victory be followed by long faces? If ever there was 
a time to sing and shout, it is after such a victory as the 
children of Israel are now celebrating. And if a wicked 
man gains a victory over his sins, why may he not shout 
as loud as Israel did? 

Let us get a seat where we can see all that transpires 
in the camp, and hear the music that burdens the air 
with its delightful harmonies, and witness all the demon- 
strations of the people's joy. Two millions have just 
been delivered from a wicked slaveholder's power, and 
brought into the liberty of sons and daughters of the 
Almighty. Before us lies a lovely green plat of ten 
acres, environed with two millions of people. They are 
all dressed in their Sunday clothes. On the green 
there is a select party, of young and lovely maidens. 
Miriam, the sister of Moses, is their leader and governess. 
All are preparing for a dance. Miriam now gives the 
signal with her timbrel, and the dance commences. All 
promenade around the open space, keeping perfect 



58 Holy Dancing. 

time to the lively music. They shout and leap for 
joy, and sing the overthrow of their enemy, and the 
power of Israel's God. Jehovah had gotten a great 
name. Israel had obtained a marvelous deliverance. 
And now, in the order, and by the direction of God, 
they are celebrating the event. 

Who is it that says the day ought not to be celebrated 
with joyous demonstrations? What cares the nightin- 
gale if the toad despises her singing? She would permit 
the toad to hop back to his damp dwelling, and sing 
on. And why should those care who are happy in 
God, filled with heavenly joy to the brim, who have 
received Gospel measure, joy pressed down and running 
over, if some cold Pharisee shakes his head, takes his 
hat and walks out, saying as he goes that these things 
cannot be right for he has never felt them. We receive 
his testimony; he never felt the joys we feel? We will 
leave him with other toads in the dark damp cellars 
of unbelief. We will continue to sing, and shout, and 
leap for joy in the holy dance while the smile of the 
Lord is the feast of our souls. Some think that the 
nearer their faces look like midnight, the more grace 
they possess. But God, who made the sun and the 
flowers, never sent us to proclaim such a lie as that. We 
are told to "rejoice in the Lord always." And what 
more? "Again I say rejoice." What would have been 
thought of those who refused to participate in the rejoic- 
ings that followed the successful termination of our 
revolutionary struggle? The house that was not 
illuminated was a Tory's. The man that would not 
join in the universal show of triumph was a Tory. A 
shout went up from log cabin and castle, from village 
and city, and every patriotic heart cried out, amen! 
to the noisy demonstration. And shall we not shout 
over the victories which Christ is gaining over the Devil ? 
Oh! Lord, we will praise thee. Thine anger is turned 
away; thou hast comforted us. 




THE TOAD AND THE NIGHTINGALE. 



The Camp at Sinai. 59 



Chapter X. — Spurious Shouting. 

We have frequently tarried by the way as we have 
come up out of Egypt, being determined to take notes 
by the way, for our own and the reader's profit. Glory 
to God! we have seen our enemies overthrown, and 
have had our jubilee over the event. And now we will 
take the lightning train, and slide down into the Gospel 
dispensation; stopping of course to make short calls, to 
dine and sup along with the patriarchs and prophets, 
and see what they have to say about shouting, and 
other demonstrations of intense religious feeling; this 
being the subject we have by the ear. 

The tents are now struck, and the host begins to 
move, singing in a grand chorus as they go: 

"The way is all new as it opens to view, 
And behind is the foaming Red Sea; 
So none need to speak of the onions and leeks, 
Or talk about garlic to me. 
On Jordan's near side, I can never abide. 
For no place of refuge I see, 
Till I come to the spot, and inherit the lot, 
Which the Lord will give unto me." 

And now that the bitter waters of Marah have been 
sweetened, we will all take a hearty drink, and encamp 
for the night. In the morning we breakfast on 
manna, and at noon dine on quails. And now the 
pillar of fire moves towards Mount Sinai, where God 
intends to give his law to his people. Standing in 
the midst of the most desolate scenery, Sinai lifts its 
huge form to the skies, like some monster slumbering 
in conscious strength. Its bald and dreary summit, 
its rocky, rugged sides, all its sombre features corre- 



60 Moses on the Mount. 

spond to the surrounding desert scene. Desolation is 
written everywhere. The scene is a fit emblem of the 
heart of a proud, self-righteous Pharisee. The law is 
his glory, and his heart is as barren and cold as the 
summit of the mountain on which it was given. 

But now there is a general inquiry for Moses. No 
one knows what has become of him. But at the end 
of forty days, behold two men coming down the side 
of the mountain. They are coming from the immediate 
presence of God. Their faces are shining with the 
radiance of Divine glory. Moses is bearing the two 
stone tablets on which God has written the law with 
his own finger; one stone containing our duty to God, 
the other our duty to man. They are drawing near 
the camp, but suddenly they halt. Hark! says Moses 
to Joshua, I hear a shout, a noise in the camp. Joshua 
listens, shakes his head, and says, this is not the ring 
of the true metal, it is not the voice of victors in war, 
there is no God in the sound. Here was a believer 
who had the drum of his ear purified; no worldly wax 
to render imperfect his spiritual hearing. Men may pass 
counterfeit money on ignorant men, but it is not so easy 
to deceive a sanctified ear in regard to a genuine shout. 
A hypocritical shout and empty amens are our especial 
abhorrence, whether read from a gilt edged book, or 
spontaneously given. Let a Christian with the fullness 
of the blessing of the gospel of peace, listen at midnight 
to the mockings of the half drunken sons of Belial 
without the camp, and then hear the genuine shout of 
a soul just emancipated from sin, or the songs and 
halleluia's of a soul just over in the land of Beulah, and 
the difference will be detected in a moment. Cannot 
a man, unless his hearing is defective, tell the difference 
between the bleating of a goat and a sheep? There is 
as much difference between the true and counterfeit 
shout and song, as between the sound of a maniac 



Exo d u s Ch ap.xxxii. 

Mofes breaks the Tables.. 




Exodus 3*yerfe i^. 

^stffaon a f J /te came nupfi iin/ori camp 




g£ 



Israel Backsliders. 6i 

dancing to the music of his own chains, and the sweet 
music that enraptures the saints in heaven. 

In a certain village there was a revival of religion, 
and sinners came home like doves to their windows, 
before the impending storm. Two wags in the village 
met in the village bar room and made a bet. Says 
Tom to John, to-morrow is the day appointed to hear 
the testimony of the converts, and receive them into the 
Church, and I will bet you ten dollars that I can make 
up an experience and receive the right hand of fellow- 
ship. The bet was taken and the money deposited 
in the hands of the landlord, with a strict injunction 
to secrecy. Each, of course, as they walked off, took 
between their teeth a long nine. Tom succeeded in 
writing a charming experience, extracting it from that 
of some saint who had gone home to rest. The day 
of the trial arrived. One convert after another related 
their experience and were received into the Church. 
Tom's turn came; he read his charming production, and 
was about to be received, when an old mother in Israel 
arose and said that he had been telling the experience 
of some other man, that there was no God in the sound. 
The plot was discovered, and he was cast out with the 
dogs and sorcerers. Alas! how many such slippery 
frogs hop into the gospel net, a curse to themselves and 
the Church. Know you not, says Paul, that the saints 
shall judge the world? Let the graveyard of the world 
receive the dead ; the Church only living persons. Amen ! 

But where are Moses and Joshua? We have wan- 
dered quite a distance from them in our cogitations. 
They are now in the midst of the camp. Moses in 
his holy indignation had broken in pieces the tables 
of stone. Aaron, the preacher, and the whole con- 
gregation, had backslidden. They were worshipping 
a golden calf, and it was the noise of their ungodly 
revelry that the two men heard as they came down 



62 Breaking the Tables. 

the mountain. Alas! what a change! How soon 
has the fine gold become dim! The Devil has made 
fools of Aaron and the entire Church. They have for- 
saken the God of their salvation, have made a molten 
image, and as they engage in their impious songs and 
dances they say, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which 
have brought thee out of the land of Egypt." It was 
this marvelous impiety that caused God's anger to wax 
hot, and kindled the intense anger of Moses. It is said 
by Jeremy Taylor, when speaking of extremes in joy 
or sorrow, that Isaiah was at a certain time so filled 
with ecstatic joy, that he could not receive a message 
from God, until he had been soothed with singing; and 
that Moses in rebuking Aaron for breaking one command, 
broke ten himself. Moses now seizes the golden oalf, 
made out of the jewels ta,ken from the ears and fingers 
of the worshippers, grinds it into powder, then throws 
it into the brook and commands every rebellious back- 
slider to get down upon his knees and drink, just as 
sinners now-a-days are called to the mourner's bench. 

But, says one, what a waste of gold! Better for 
you, dear brother or sister, that your gold should be 
sunk in the sea, than that you should keep it to inflame 
your pride. But we have a quill seasoning to write 
a book on the subject of wearing jewelry, and other 
extravagances, and so will pass by the matter for the 
present. 

But before we leave Mount Sinai we should say a 
word or two concerning this dancing business. The 
dancing on the banks of the Red Sea, and at the foot 
of Sinai are as unlike as hell and heaven. On one 
God smiled, on the other he frowned. Impious idol- 
aters and midnight revelers are not in the order of 
God. Their laughter is like offensive odors to God. 
Ah! these should mourn instead of laughing. They 
should kneel in sorrow and penitence, instead of danc- 



Dancing. 63 

ing. What would you think of persons under sentence 
of death, with a cap drawn over their faces, to see them 
capering about like the wild mountain goat, while the 
sheriff has his foot on the spring to let the platform 
fall when the appointed hour comes? Will you say 
this is a time to dance? And what shall we say of those 
who follow the music of the violin through the hours 
of night, on the platform of destruction, riches or enjoy- 
ment, with the black cap of unbelief drawn over their 
eyes, while death has his foot on the spring of time, 
awaiting orders to cast the body into the grave, and 
launch the soul into eternity. And what shall we say 
of dancing professors, who, as Bishop Hedding once 
remarked, kick up their heels as if the Devil was in 
them? They are like Israel, whom God will make 
drink the bitterness of their folly. And what will you 
think of the minister who will join his flock in the giddy 
dance, and on the next Sabbath ridicule the Spirit's 
manifestations at camp and revival meetings? He can 
dance to the music of the fiddle all night, but not a 
moment to the delightful melody of religious joy. Blind 
leaders of the blind! Save them, Lord, before they 
lead their flock into the pit. Amen! 



Chapter XI. — Grapes and Pomegranates. 

Notwithstanding our long delay on the desolate 
plain at the base of Sinai, and the time we have had 
with the backslider, you still hold us by the sleeve, 
and insist upon some apology for Moses breaking the 
two tables, on which God had with his own finger 
written his law. How can one professing entire ho- 
liness, and coming forth from the immediate presence 
of God, with his face shining with heavenly light, in 



64 Moses' Anger Justified. 

one hour after, dash to pieces the sacred tables, with 
seeming vengeance and wrath? We answer, this is 
perfectly consistent with true Godliness. Just in pro- 
portion to our love to God, will be our hatred to sin. 
Because "thou hast loved righteousness and hated in- 
quity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed 
thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." And 
again: "This thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of 
the Nicolaitans, which I also hate." But Moses knit 
his brows, and his radiant face was quickly turned into 
a thunder-cloud. Amen! to that. Nothing purines 
the air like thunder and lightning. And it is Godlike 
to manifest hatred and a holy vengeance toward the 
enemy of all good. The record establishes this position. 
The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people and 
behold it is a stiff necked people. Now, therefore, let 
me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them and 
that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a 
great nation." But now follows the proof that Moses 
was meek and loving, if his anger did flame out against 
Israel's wickedness. He refused the honors that God 
would have conferred upon him, and plead for those 
whose sins had angered him. He binds the hands of 
Omnipotence with His own promises. He held the 
covenant of God to Israel as a shield over the head of a 
backslidden priest and people. By his importunate 
prayers the Divine wrath was appeased, the sun was 
brought from under the cloud that had concealed it. 
Here is the type of the Christian man. He loved the 
sinner, but hated the sin. This is the kind of men for 
service. Had Moses backslidden with the rest, the 
tables of stone would not have been broken, but all 
would have gone on in their wicked worship, and their 
unhallowed shouts and songs, deceiving and being 
deceived, until they had gone quick down into hell. 



, Moses' Anger Justified. 65 

Oh! that every evangelical preacher, and class-leader, 
might breathe this holy vengeance. Fashionable idolatry 
would then be as secure in the Church as Pharisees in 
heaven. The professor of religion would now turn pale 
and feel insulted if asked to worship a golden calf; but 
let the idol be moulded into a modern popular fashion, 
and willing votaries will not be wanting. This fashion- 
able idolatry is a sovereign remedy against shouting, or 
loud halleluias. None fall under the power of God who 
worship at its shrine. It knows nothing of either battles 
or victory. A Church of such idolaters may be peace- 
fully united, but the union is that of icebergs frozen 
together, floating with the current, whose only light 
is the Aurora Borealis. Such a Church never does any 
good; it has not the power. It cannot get angry at sin, 
and hence it can make no headway against sin. 

But anger is one thing, such anger as the world knows, 
and holy anger, such as flames in the Christian's soul, is 
another. One is set on fire of hell ; the flame of the other 
is caught from the burning throne of God. Sinner, 
Moses' anger only broke the stone tables; your anger 
breaks the law written on them. 

Again we see Moses on the mountain. The tables 
are restored. And now he is hid in a cleft of the rocks, 
^„nd in answer to his prayer God is making his glory 
pass before him. Glory to God! what a sacred spot. 
The Christian's life is hid in the cleft rock, and he is 
safely shielded by his Father's hand. 

And now the pillar, the symbol of Divine presence, 
begins to move. The camp must now be broken up, 
and a new locality selected. But before we begin the 
journey we will attend family worship. Moses and 
Aaron are gathering the congregation together around 
the tabernacle. The sacrifice is laid upon the altar. 
Moses leads in prayer — spreads out his hands unto the 



66 Majority and Minority Report. 

God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, unto the God that 
always answers by fire ; and there came out a fire from 
before the Lord and consumed the offering. When the 
people saw it, they shouted and fell upon their faces. 
Here were the fruits of a revival of a backslidden 
Church. Here is a remarkable season of worship. 
There was the sacrifice, the prayer, the fire, the shout 
of triumph, and the fall under the weight of glory that 
rolled over the vast assembly. The wilds of Arabia 
never heard such shouts before, nor witnessed such a 
manifestation of Divine power as that prostrated assem- 
bly exhibited. Here was a family altar worth coming 
to. Here was a spot to warm frozen hearts ; thaw out 
icebergs ; sanctify preachers ; to change class drivers into 
class leaders; a place for the soul to take breakfast on 
fat things full of marrow, and wine on the lees well 
refined. Here, too, was a dedication of the new taber- 
nacle; and here, dear reader, let us consecrate all our 
redeemed powers to God, and start with renewed vigor 
for the promised land. And now the cloud settles 
down, and says, pitch here in the wilderness of Paran. 
From this sacred spot, twelve men, one from each 
tribe, were sent over to spy out the land, and bring 
back a report to the army. The majority on their re- 
turn, ten of the twelve, reported as follows: that the 
country was filled with giants, that they were as grass- 
hoppers in their presence, and that the soil was sterile. 
They returned without a single grape or pomegranate. 
This discouraging report almost caused the congrega- 
tion to backslide again, and had not Caleb and Joshua 
been permitted to bring in a minority report, every 
soul would have backslidden, and left their bones in 
the wilderness. The two spies returned with a fullness 
of the blessing. They staggered under the load of 
grapes and pomegranates they had gathered on the 
banks of the brook Eschol; and while their report was 



Experienced Pilots. 67 

being read, the fruits they had brought were pressed 
to the lips of the congregation. The effect was marvel- 
ous. Sorrow was turned into rejoicing. And as they 
further reported, that the land flowed with milk and 
honey, and that in the name of the Lord they were 
able to go up and possess it, there was a volley of hearty 
Aniens, and now and then a Glory to God. O! may the 
Church ever be filled with Calebs and Joshuas, to cheer 
the Church with good reports, and lead on to victory. 
O, for a faith that turns giants into grasshoppers; a 
faith that breaks the green boughs from the trees of 
Paradise, and feeds the soul with ambrosial fruit. 

Reader, were you ever at the Straits of Gibraltar? 
There they have pilots waiting to conduct the ship 
along the dangerous channel into the broad blue sea. 
Here comes one on board and proposes to pilot us 
through. We ask him if he is acquainted with the 
channel, if he has ever been through it himself? If 
he says no, but that he has a chart which marks out 
the proper course, we dismiss him at once; and look 
for a person who not only has a chart, but who knows 
by experience its truthfulness. Such pilots were Caleb 
and Joshua, and such should be every minister of Christ. 
Who can describe the beauty and the richness of the 
vineyards and corn fields of the spiritual Canaan if he 
has never seen, and enjoyed them? When the ministers 
of Christ know the joys of perfected holiness, then will 
be sung, "How beautiful are the feet of them that 
bring glad tidings of great joy." Shouts of victory 
would be heard in Israel's camp. Flocks fed by such 
shepherds would be like Bunyan's pilgrims, who talked 
and sung in their sleep about the better land, by reason 
of the juice of the grape that stuck to their lips. 



68 Trial of Faith. 



Chapter XII. — The Smitten Rock. 

There is no standing still in religion, and there was 
no standing still in the march of the Israelites. We 
merely touch at different points to take in wood and 
water, get fired up, and take in and let out our passen- 
gers. We got well fired up this morning while at the 
family altar of Moses and Aaron, and had a first-rate 
shout as we crowded our omers full of manna. The 
glory fell upon us, and, thank the Lord, we feel the 
sacred flame burning now. But the manna, we per- 
ceive, is nearly gone, as we have used it for a luncheon 
by the way, for ourselves and children, and now and 
then a Hobab that turns in with us to swell our numbers. 
Our water is getting low, so we will bring up under 
Horeb, at the old rock, get a fresh supply of manna 
and water, and start on again with new vigor. 

Here we are, snugly encamped again. Glory to 
God! we are nearer than when we first believed. But 
you say this is but a dry, desert place. It is, surely; 
but has not the cloud rested here, the same cloud that 
stood between us and Pharaoh, as we came out of Egypt? 
Has the triumphant shout on the banks of the sea been 
forgotten? Has not God promised that he will neither 
forget nor forsake his people? Begone quarreling 
unbelief! Here is to be a trial of faith. All are in 
heaviness through manifold temptations. Alas ! another 
night of weeping. What will not a day bring forth! 
As far as the eye can reach, nothing but barren sand 
heaps. There is not a drop of dew to moisten the thirsty 
tongues, or a green blade to relieve the desolation of the 
scene, or a single green leaf to flutter in the burning sun. 
Nothing but the soul of a Pharisee could present a 
more desolate scene than that which carried dismay 



Water prom the Rock. 69 

to the hearts of the children of Israel. Hark! A 
hundred thousand tiny voices cry for water, which 
the mothers cannot supply. The fathers and young 
men take their spades and dig here and there; but all 
is dry as an ash heap. And now all join in the cry 
for water; and, mingling with the cries of the multitude, 
are heard without the camp, the bleating of sheep, and 
the bellowing of cattle. "Give us water or we die." 
The spades are hung up in despair. Although their 
God was glorious in holiness doing wonders, they were 
expecting death in that desolate place. Their digging 
in the sand was just like persons praying to God yet 
regarding iniquity in their hearts. Such prayers cannot 
find the sweet waters of salvation. 

Here is a good prospect for a revival. There is no 
shouting, seemingly not a victor in the whole camp; 
yet their mourning and weeping, and their ardent 
supplications, are enough to break the adamant. Mo- 
ses sets out the mourner's bench, and all come forward 
to lay hold of the promise; "If we confess our sins He 
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse 
us from all unrighteousness." Ah! say they to Moses, 
we have sinned against God, have murmured against 
thee, but pray for us, Moses. How many a sinner has 
uttered the same request. When their souls have been 
parched for the water of life, they cried to the Church, 
pray for us. And how eagerly and cheerfully does the 
sanctified soul bend the knee, and, like Moses, beseech 
God to spare and save the sinner — to put out the con- 
suming fires of sin in the heart, by pouring in the waters 
of salvation. 

Moses has been before God in the tabernacle, and 
has prevailed. As he comes forth with the Elders, 
all eyes are fixed upon him. There is breathless silence. 
It is a case of life or death with them. Now he climbs 



70 Noisy Revivals. 

an old granite rock, that had stood unmoved, since the 
sons of God shouted for joy at the birth of the world's 
creation. Cold-blooded philosopher, or skeptic, if we 
had whispered in your ear that in a few minutes water 
would flow from that rock like a living stream, you 
would have said, fanaticism, both Moses and yourself 
are fools. The preaching of the cross is to them that 
perish, foolishness; but unto those that are saved, the 
power of God. Moses draws back the rod, — it was the 
same that he picked up on the mountains of Midian, 
which was changed to a serpent, then back again into 
a dry rod — the rod with which he worked the wonders 
in Egypt and stretched over the sea, making a highway 
through which the people passed. No minister has any 
business in the desk without the rod of faith, without 
which he cannot draw water for his congregation. The 
rod now touches the rock, and water gushes out, and 
flows in limpid streams, through the whole encampment. 
Fathers and mothers take their pitchers, and soon they 
are full, pressed down, shaken together, and running 
over. They drink themselves, then press the vessels 
to the lips of their dying children, the flocks and herds 
are satisfied, and soon the parched ground becomes 
a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water. No more 
crying is heard; but the air is filled with the melodies 
and shouts of joyous hearts. "Blessed are they that 
mourn for they shall be comforted." "Let the inhabi- 
tants of the rock sing, let them shout from the tops of 
the mountains. Clap your hands all ye people, shout 
unto God with a shout of triumph." "For," says the 
apostle, "they did all eat the same spiritual meat, and 
did drink the same spiritual drink ; for they drank from 
the rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ." 
Here, reader, is one of God's revivals, and a noisy 
one it has been, too; and allow us to express our 



Noisy Revivals. 71 

opinion that a true revival never occurred which was 
noiseless as the tomb. It has become a proverb, that 
God has never any still-born children. When rocks 
are blasted out of the mountain with powder, there 
is a noise, and the mountain shakes; and when goodly 
stones are blasted out of the mountain of sin for our 
spiritual temple, there will be a noise of deep groaning, 
smiting of breasts, and the shoutings of true converts. 
When the rocky heart is touched and broken by the 
rod of saving faith, waters leap out from the garret 
windows of the new born sons of God, and overflow 
their sunny cheeks. A soul that starts for the king- 
dom with tears of penitence, and agonizing prayers, 
and comes in with a shout of victory, will not be a 
mere sponge in the church, which must be squeezed to 
get anything out of them; they will be more like the war 
horse, who smelleth the battle afar off, and champs 
his bits with impatience to begin the conflict. His 
delight is the battle cry, and the rush and collision of 
battle. May God fill the world with Christians, full 
of holy fire and energy. Amen! 



Chapter XIII. — License to Shout. 

In every county and town there are magistrates set 
as watchmen on the walls, to guard the interests and 
morals of the people. From these dignitaries the 
rum-seller receives his license, to deal out damnation 
by the gill, to fathers, husbands and children; to break 
marriage ties and female heads and hearts; to deluge 
whole families in bitter scalding tears, and then very 
mercifully hand over the bloated body to the sexton, and 
their families to the poor-master; to set whole towns 



72 Christian's License to Shout. 

on fire of hell, and pour floods of the liquid lava of 
damnation over all the land. Let the philanthropist 
remonstrate, and threaten to bring them to justice, and 
the response is a demon's laugh, and a license stuck in 
his face. 

And there is another class of persons in our land, 
who have license to do a more horrible business. They 
live in southern climes. They have license to hold, 
whip and starve slaves; a license hatched out by Con- 
gress, and brooded under the wing of the Executive 
of the Union; a license to turn the image of God into 
a chattel; a license which makes the marriage ties as 
fragile as a string of tow, and life as uncertain as a soap 
bubble in the air. Remonstrate with them, and they 
entrencn themselves behind their constitutional rights, 
as Jackson behind the cotton bales at New Orleans. 
But what good will these licenses do them in the judg- 
ment day in the presence of the King of kings? Less 
than Adam's fig leaf apron did to him. 

But we have a license from the authorities of heaven 
to sing and shout, which we intend to use through this 
little volume, and which we mean to poke in the face 
of every pharisaical class leader or preacher whom Satan 
has employed to put the brakes on the wheels of the car 
of salvation. God has spoken by the mouth of Isaiah, 
"let the inhabitants of the rock sing, let them shout 
from the top of the mountains." Who art thou who 
repliest against God? It is God that justifieth. Where 
is the brazen faced Ajax that dare spike the artillery 
of heaven, or smother the shouts of the Christian victor? 
It is the Devil's work to throw water on the fire, and] he 
would long ago have quenched it had it not been for 
the omnipresent Jesus, who casts on a sacred oil, which 
causes the flame to rise higher by throwing on water, a 
secret the Devil could never solve. 



When to Shout. 73 

Let us as Christians read carefully our license, and 
ascertain its boundaries and true meaning. The doctors 
say the great art of dealing out medicine, is to know 
when not to give it ; and it is important for the Christian 
to know when not to shout. There are periods of the 
Christian's life when a note of triumph would be dis- 
graceful. The license gives the privilege only of shouting 
on the top of the mountains. Mark the plural number 
— mountains. The obstacles we meet, and have to 
overcome, in the Christian's life, are mountains. There 
is no mountain so vast but that faith, as a grain of 
mustard seed, may not cast it into the sea. Every 
victory over the world, the flesh and the Devil, — over 
death, hell, and the grave, is a mountain summit gained, 
where we may wave our palms of victory, clap our glad 
hands, and sing and shout our joys. But while we stand 
at the base of the mountain, shouting will not be in 
order. Politicians never light their torches, form their 
processions, and shout their loud huzzahs, until they 
know they have gained the victory. A fighting cock 
will never clap his wings and crow until his antagonist 
lays dead at his feet, or shows his white feather. But 
you may whip a goose a thousand times, and it will 
return to the flock exceedingly loquacious and claim 
the victory,- and none but geese, in or out of the church, 
clap their wings, and shout the victory, until the white 
feather of the enemy is seen. But we have many a 
season for shouting; and what a shout we shall have 
when the last enemy is conquered, on the top of the 
Mount of God. Halleluiah to God! 

But behold a pillar of cloud. It is beginning to 
move. Strike your tents, O Israel, and prepare for 
another march. See that your canteens are will filled 
with water from the rock, and your haversacks well 
filled with manna. All things being parched, we will 



74 When to Shout. 

take one more drink from the rock, and then march 
on, singing as we go — 

"Though some in the rear 
Preach up terror and fear, 
And complain of the trials they meet; 
Though giants before 
With great fury do roar, 
I'm determined I'll never retreat. 

"We are little, 'tis true, 
And our numbers are few, 
And the sons of old Anoch are tall; 
While I see a track 
I will never go back, 
But go on, to the risk of my all." 

But, hark! the trumpet sounds for war. Another 
battle to fight. Another mountain of difficulty to 
surmount. Sihon and Og, with their armies, right 
in the king's highway, are coming forth to meet us. 
They swear we shall go no farther towards the promised 
land. But we draw the old Jerusalem blade and cut a 
swath through their ranks, gather up the spoils, and 
stand on the field of battle more than conquerers; and 
now we throw up our tuscans, and with loud huzzahs, 
move on and encamp on the fair plain of Moab, at the 
base of Mount Pisgah. 

Here is another sacred mountain. On its summit 
the Lord gave Moses a glimpse of the promised land, 
then blowed out the candle of his life, and gave him 
a secret but glorious burial. We cannot, of course, 
give the particulars of his funeral, for we were not 
permitted to attend it, but we know that he died in 
full view of the promised Canaan. While death with 
his keen knife was cutting the cords that bound soul 
and body together, the bosom of God was his pillow; 
and angles were there to fan his feverish brow with 



DeuteronomyChapxxmy 

Mofe.< ilu-s on mount Nebo 




DFAITERONOMY34 Verfe 5 

J<> > C %*/rs f/u- Servant t*j "#>LORD '*W 
ftiorr tn f/Ir tsvnd af SMcmt * arrtrra'ini} 

^ r/ui ?v<rr<) of m* Lord **, 



A Victory. — Moses' Funeral. 75 

their wings, and to escort his spirit to the realms of 
glory. His was a glorious burial. How long the train 
of celestial chariots was that followed his body to the 
tomb we cannot tell; but it is enough to know that the 
King of kings was present at his burial, to oronounce 
a benediction over his grave. 



Chapter XIV. — Crossing Jordan. 

Our days of mourning are now over. We have 
wiped away our tears, taken off our crape, and now, 
under our new leader, Joshua, we will march down 
to the banks of the Jordan. "Jordan is a hard road 
to travel," is a song sung by the modern reveler; and 
poor sinner, if you have not made our heavenly Joshua 
your leader, you will find it a harder road to travel, 
than you imagine. When you stand in its chilling 
waters to your knees, when your physician turns his 
back upon you, and says you must die, when your 
friends gather around you to wipe the cold death sweat 
from your brow, and say that no further earthly aid 
can be given, then you will feel the need of him you 
reject. If all the tears that have been shed at such 
times could be gathered together, a Genesareth would 
be filled to the brim. The sighs and groans that have 
been heard on the banks of the mystical Jordan, if they 
were united, would be like the bursting of a thousand 
volcanoes. Here is no place for the unholy to shout. 
They have no song of triumph to sing. Never has an 
infidel, or an impenitent man, been known to shout on 
Jordan's banks. To them the way is dark. But it is 
the reverse to the Christian. Suppose that all the saints 
who have crossed the river were gathered in one vast 



76 Christian Triumph. 

hospital, and all their shouts united as one shout, as they 
stand upon the brink and peep into heaven through the 
rent vail, we should have some idea of the songs and 
praises of the innumerable throng, which were as the 
voice of many waters, and mighty thunderings. There 
is considerable noise this side of Jordan; on the other 
side there is more. The dying saint, his spiritual hearing 
more acute as he approaches the verge, hears the melodies 
that come from glad hearts on the other shore. Hear 
the almost silent tongue. 



The world recedes, it disappears, 

Heaven opens on my eyes, 

My ears with sounds seraphic ring. 

Lend, lend your wings, I mount, I fly, 

O, death, where is thy sting, 

O, grave, where is thy victory." 



The waves once passed, the song of Moses and the 
Lamb begins. Louder now sings the saint than ever. 
He has reached a noisier world than earth. Now 
what will you do, you with velvet ears and weak nerves? 
You cannot take your hat or parasol as you now do 
and go out of the house, dropping your contemptuous 
epithets as you pass through the throng of ungodly 
persons ; so you may as well take the cotton out of your 
ears; and join the army and the song. And you had 
better be quick about it; perhaps you have no time to 
spare. Jordan is near at hand; nearer than you are 
aware. 

The army is already leaving Shittim, with orders to 
pitch their tents on the banks of the river. Joshua now 
calls upon all to sanctify themselves, for to-morrow 
God will work wonders. Dear reader, if you arc not 
sanctified this side Jordan you will never be at all. 
The Jordan is swelling its banks, for it is the time of 



Mountain of Water. 77 

harvest. There is no ferry boat, no suspension bridge 
made by human hands; but a highway is to be made 
by Israel's wonder-working God. It is written, the 
unclean shall not pass over it. You were with us, in- 
fidel friends, and saw the honor conferred upon Moses, 
as he stretched his rod over the Red Sea, making a 
highway for Israel; we now invite you to see similar 
honors conferred upon Joshua, his successor. If, after 
seeing these exhibitions of the power of God, you are 
not persuaded of the necessity of embracing his truth, 
we must leave you until the judgment. 

The twelve priests are already standing with their 
feet on the brink of the river, bearing upon their shoul- 
ders the ark of the covenant. Ah! how wonderful 
the scene that now takes place. The liquid element 
rises like a mountain, its sides are perpendicular walls, 
seemingly as firm as the rocks of Gibraltar. Back as 
far as the eye can reach, the waters rise; yet the unseen 
barriers keep back the accumulating waters, until 
Israel passed to his inheritance. Down stream, even 
to the Dead Sea, the river bed becomes dry, and yet 
the waters above are not allowed to wet even the soles 
of their feet. The ark rests in the middle of the river, 
and not until its bearers reach the opposite bank, will 
the waters be permitted to flow. Each of the twelve 
bearers takes a stone upon his shoulders, to raise a 
memorial of this wonderful interposition of God, to be 
an everlasting remembrancer to the following genera- 
tions; having placed them upon the banks, within the 
promised dominions, they return, take up the ark, bring 
it to the shore, and set it down in the midst of the trium- 
phant host. Jordan is now permitted to resume its 
flow, and the liquid mountain soon disappears. Glory 
to the God who doeth all things well. Our feet stand 
on the soil of the land of promise. 



78 The Second Blessing. 

This second triumph may well be compared to what 
has become a proverb in our Israel, the "second bless- 
ing." The deliverance from Egypt may be compared 
to a soul just emancipated from sin; and the songs 
and dances of Miriam, to the joys they feel. "Being 
justified by faith we have peace with God." From 
this point in religious experience all are required to 
advance. "Learn the first principles of the doctrine 
of Christ and go on to perfection." "Having these 
promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from 
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness 
in the fear of God." In the spirit of the words quoted, 
the apostle Paul prays that his Thessalonian brethren 
might be sanctified wholly, and be preserved blameless 
unto the coming of Jesus Christ. All that get safely 
out of Egypt are called, by the Apostle of the Gentiles, 
sanctified ; but to be sanctified wholly is what we 
mean by the second blessing. Holiness is not always, 
nor generally, perfected in the hearts of true Chris- 
tians. 

The Church is now out of the wilderness. They 
have left milk, and begin to lay hold of strong meat. 
The manna has ceased, and they now live on the more 
substantial food of corn and wine. They have had 
battles all the way, and glorious victories. How child- 
like at times their whinings, their stumblings and fall- 
ings; but we soon hear them shouting from the top 
of the mountains. Their joys and sorrows were alter- 
nating. But now that they have attained the full 
stature of men and women, in Christ Jesus, their doubt- 
ings are gone, and faith constantly lends its realizing 
light. Their hope so, gives place to their know so; and 
it is know so all the time. 

But in looking over the census table, one solemn 
fact arrests attention. Of the six hundred thousand 



JoshuaChap.v. 

An an gel appears to Jolhua . 



— * 




Loss of an Army. 79 

fighting men, who came out of the land of bondage, 
only two, Caleb and Joshua, were permitted to see the 
land of promise. They had fought valiantly. They 
had caused the blood of mighty armies to crimson the 
plains of Arabia. But on the banks of the Jordan, they 
met a single foe, which sent them back, and their bones 
were sepulchred in the wilderness. That foe was un- 
belief. Says the Apostle, "Take heed, brethren, lest 
there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief; lest a 
promise being left us of entering into rest, any should 
come short of it." 



Chapter XV. — Fall of Jericho. 

What is it we now behold? All the Levites are 
in the slaughter yard making trumpets out of rams' 
horns, for the purpose of blowing down the walls of 
Jericho. The Lord had given the order of battle to 
Joshua. It was a strange one indeed. One of our 
American generals, if a little sceptical, would have 
lit his cigar and puffed the smoke in the face of the 
angel who served as aid-de-camp to the Lord, and called 
him a fool. But Joshua, though a skillful officer, knew 
that spiritual weapons were more potent to pull down 
strongholds, than all the battering rams and other 
engines of war invented and const met ed by men. God 
was determined to have the glory to himself; and it is 
with this purpose that in all ages he chooses the weak 
things of the world to confound the mighty, things 
that are base to bring to naught those that are lifted up. 
Even in the nineteenth century he uses crooked rams' 
horns, jaw bones of asses, and ox-gads, to demolish the 
high walls that oppose the progress of his army, and 



So Marching around the Walls. 

pile up winrows of Philistines on the spiritual battle 
fields. 

The hour to march has come. The ark bearers have 
taken their stations. The Levites have their trumpets 
in their hands. Judah is in the van, with his lion 
floating in the breeze. And now comes the order — 
forward! Six hundred thousand men, with steady, 
measured steps, make the earth tremble under their 
tread, and rend the heavens with their songs and the 
sound of their trumpets. Nothing can give us an ad- 
equate idea of such a scene, unless it be a Methodist 
Camp Meeting, where thousands are singing and shouting. 
Ah! what power is there in music. We read of two 
ministers whose songs at midnight shook a jail all to 
pieces. , 

But the army has passed around the city, and is 
pitched again at Gilgal. No sign of a revival yet. They 
did not so much as mar the whitewash on the outside 
of the wall; and some of the brethren thought that the 
time had not come for the revival to commence. But 
Joshua looked again to his orders, which read as follows : 
"I have given thee Jericho with its kings and mighty 
men." Its terms are unequivocal — the promise cannot 
be mistaken, and Joshua resolves to proceed. 

The second morning dawns. The brilliant oriental 
sun shines equally on the just and the unjust. And 
now the army starts off, in grand procession as before, 
the ark bringing up the rear, the music sounding as 
sweetly as ever on the ear, and finally back they came 
again to Gilgal, seemingly nothing done. Thus matters 
continued until the seventh morning. Joshua now 
draws up his army, and says: "we are to march around 
the city seven times; let every man be at his post, and 
at the word of command shout at the top of his voice, 
and let the priests give a long and loud blast with the 



Joshua C h a p. n 

Thf (pies let down by a cord 




Joshua AVrfc i 5 . 

Q7n0n/ne fr/-?-ficm c/cnim /y u rprr) 7/irc 
WOU, % an<)/?tf r/r»*>A' imp on rfr >v,j// 



Rahab Saved. 8i 

trumpets." The enemies heard this curious order, as 
they looked over the wall, and put their ears to the 
key-holes of the gates, and had a hearty laugh at the 
expense of the leader who read the ridiculous order, and 
of the fools who were to obey it. Who ever heard of 
shouting a wall down ; and shouting down gates of brass 
which would almost defy the artillery of heaven. Ah! 
infidels, you are just like the inhabitants of Jericho. 
You have laughed many a time while the minister has 
blown the gospel trumpet around the whited wall of 
your self -righteousness. You have ridiculed the Chris- 
tian's mode of warfare. But the natural man receiveth 
not the things of the Spirit, for they are foolishness to 
him, neither can he know them, because they are only 
spiritually discerned; but he that is spiritual judgeth 
all things. 

The final hour of the devoted city has come. But 
it cannot fall until the righteous in it are safe. The 
fire could not fall on Sodom until Lot had escaped; 
and the walls of Jericho cannot fall until believing 
Rahab is secure. Do you see that scarlet thread sus- 
pended from a window? There is Rahab's dwelling, 
and that is the cord with which she let down the spies 
from the wall, whom she had concealed from the search- 
ing eyes of their enemies, under the flax. She shall not 
lose the reward of her kindness. And no person shall 
lose an ample reward, who gives even a cup of cold 
water to a child of God. Rahab's reward was the 
salvation of herself and household from the impending 
destruction. 

Joshua is now preparing to give the order to shout. 
The brethren and sisters are beginning to clear their 
throats, and the priests are getting the rams horns ad- 
justed to their sanctified lips. O! what an awful mo- 
ment. Our hair begins to stand on end. Our blood 



82 Effective Shouting. 

is almost curdled in our veins. When Prof. Webster 
was hung in the jail yard in Cambridge, the adjacent 
buildings were covered with persons anxious to witness 
the horrible scene; and when the platform fell, and left 
him suspended between heaven and earth, females 
groaned, screamed, fainted and fell as men on the field 
of battle. But here is a scene a thousand times more 
terrific. The inhabitants of a whole city are to perish. 
And let our anti-shouting brethren and sisters stand 
with us on one of the high cliffs of Canaan, and witness, 
the mighty power of the invisible Spirit of God, called 
into exercise by the faith of God's chosen people. Hark ! 
The awful command is given. A terrible blast of 
trumpets, and the shouts of the army are heard. The 
mighty wall trembled like hypocritical Felix. Before 
the enemies had done mocking, they begun to feel as 
obstinate sinners will when Gabriel shall blow. Again 
and again the trumpets sound and the people shout, and, 
as if upheaved by some mighty earthquake, the walls 
were thrown from their strong foundations; and the 
thundering crash, together with the cries of the terrified 
inhabitants, form a scene unparalleled except by the 
crash of the worlds and the terrors of the judgment. 

This terrible victory of the Lord's army was the result 
of faith. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after 
they were compassed about seven days." And observe 
that it was a faith that developed itself in shouting. 
Faith shouted out, overthrew the mighty walls.- 

The number seven, so frequently occurring in the 
Bible, is not always to be understood literally. It 
signifies perfection. Naaman dipped in Jordan seven 
times and his purity was complete. Had he dipped 
but six times, the condition of his recovery would not 
have been met, but the seventh dipping perfected the 
performance. Christ once found a woman at the 



The Number Seven. 83 

mourner's bench with seven devils in her, that is, she 
was perfectly devilish ; but he routed the whole of them 
and made her a perfect saint — a temple of the living 
God. When the army marched around the city seven 
times, a perfect victory was won. Six times around 
left the walls standing; the seventh time perfected the 
conditions of the promised victory. Had Joshua 
adopted any other plan, one that seemed wiser in his 
own mind, the walls of Jericho might have been standing 
to-day. The foolishness of God is better than the 
wisdom of men. The preaching of the cross, as the 
blowing of a ram's horn, is foolishness unto them 
that perish, but unto them that believe, the power of 
God. 

Sinner, the gospel trumpet is constantly sounding 
in your ears. It is for you to obey or disobey. But 
there is another trumpet, the seventh trumpet, yet to 
sound. It is now lying on a shelf, over the mercy- 
seat, which God is reserving for his own immaculate 
lips. And when the trump of God is heard the bul- 
warks of the universe will fall. Then you must bow, 
with constraint and terror. You now complain of the 
shouts of the army of God's people, but what will you 
do when the midnight cry "Behold the bridegroom 
cometh" is heard, and when the universe shall be filled 
with the collision of worlds, and the wailings of the 
damned ! 

Well, your humble author feels just like dropping 
his pen and saying, hallelujah! Behold he cometh 
with clouds, every eye shall see him; yes, glory to God: 
the eyes of the blind man shall see him. Ah, what a 
vision, to see the descending Lord with his glorious 
train, for one who has seen nothing earthly for the last 
seventeen years. We shall then have eyes as perfect as 
those of our readers, Glory to God! our eyes shall 



84 Seventh Trumpet. 

range over the extended plains, where shines an eternal 
day. And now we will close this chapter by singing. 

May our lamps be trimmed and burning, 

And our loins be girded round, 
Waiting for our Lord's returning, 

Longing for the welcome sound. 
Thus the Christian's life adorning, 

Never need we be afraid, 
Should he come at night or morning, 

Early dawn or evening shade. 



Chapter XVI. — From Jericho to Jerusalem. 

We have now bid farewell to Gilgal and old Jordan, 
and have left Jericho in flames. We have passed through 
many noisy scenes. Indeed, since we left the gates of 
Eden our ears have constantly been filled with the noise 
of sorrow or gladness. It is difficult to tell which has 
made the most noise, the mourners or the victors. The 
great difference between saints on earth and in heaven, 
is, that on earth they eat the lamb with bitter herbs, 
but in heaven they have the joys of the Lord, boundless 
and unmixed. But let us drink the cup our Father 
puts to our lips. Jesus says, drink ye all of it, I have 
extracted all the poison; the bitter will not harm you, 
but work your perfect cure; the richest sweets, my 
choicest blessings, are at the bottom of the cup. We 
have in this life just joy enough to oil the wheels of our 
machinery. Joys come to the faithful and light all 
around them, just as swallows light on the roof of the 
farmer's barn, desiring a place to enter and rear their 
young, and make all within and without cheerful with 
their music, When we were a boy, it was considered 



Swallow Holes. 85 

evidence of a mean man, to refuse to cut a swallow hole 
in the gable end of a barn, to let the little songsters 
out and in. Here we may find the secret of so many 
professors of religion wearing gloomy faces. They do 
not open their swallow holes; in other words, as David 
says, they do not open their mouths wide that the Holy 
Ghost may fill them with joy and peace. If the young 
birds would not open their mouths, when the old one 
held the choice morsel over them, they must languish 
and die. A man who would starve in a bake shop, 
because he was too lazy or wilful to help himself, deserves 
to die. God has set a table for his people, in the presence 
of their enemies, laden with the luxuries of heaven; and, 
reader, if you have suffered the Devil to give you the 
lock-jaw, or a man-fearing, or man-pleasing spirit to 
sew up your lips, you will languish and die, and go before 
your judge a self-murderer. 

Halloo! The trumpet sounds again for war. The 
city of Ai is to be taken. It is sometimes thought that 
Christians, when wholly sanctified, can sell their swords, 
hang up their shields, and dispose of all their weapons 
of war; but this is a sad delusion. If on the other side 
of Jordan you found enemies that made your cheek 
turn pale, you will find, before you hoist the flag of 
freedom on the glittering spires of Jerusalem, giants a 
head and shoulders higher than any you have ever seen. 
Many a thief that would risk his life to steal your guineas 
would not touch your pennies; and the adversary had 
rather cast down two such souls as Caleb and Joshua, 
than a whole battalion of milk-and-water professors. 
Such are too easily conquered to make it an object 
for the Devil to trouble himself about them. The 
weak ones on the other side of Jordan were fed on 
manna, which is as milk to babes; but in the land of 
Beulah the soldiers are fed with corn and wine. Fed 



86 Church Trial. — Mouldy Bread. 

with corn alone a man might live and be strong ; but it 
is the wine that puts the fight into him. These solids 
and fluids taken together are like fire and powder; 
coming in contact, they will report themselves, without 
troubling the minister to do it for them. 

But what now? A shameful defeat! Thirty-six 
of Joshua's men slain! The rest are running for their 
lives to the camp! God has refused to fight for them, 
and hence their discomfiture. And now comes on an 
investigation — a church trial. The money loving Achan 
is tried, condemned, and executed. A wedge of gold 
and a fashionable garment are taken from before the 
wheels of the cars, and now they roll rapidly along the 
track. The city is taken, blasted out of existence, the 
spoils are gathered, and from the mountain top are 
heard the shouts of the victors. The soldier should not 
only conquer, but be more than conquerer — he should 
gain the victory, and enrich himself with the spoils. 
Every time we lift a cross in Jesus' name, we find a 
guinea under it — we spoil Satan of his possessions and 
are enriched with heavenly treasure. 

But here is a strange-looking company! Ragged, 
with clouted shoes and mouldy bread. They want to 
turn in with us, and finally they succeed in getting 
into the Church, and the covenant with Joshua and 
the princes, that they might be saved, is made before 
it is discovered that they are Gibeonites. The contract 
is sacredly observed, but they were made hewers of 
wood and drawers of water. Thus the Christian should 
make the world, the flesh, and the Devil, his servants, 
or the scaffolding, until the building is reared, and the 
cap stone is brought forth with shoutings of grace, grace 
unto it. But we will be excused from eating this mouldy 
bread. God feeds his children with fresh bread warm 
from the oven, well leavened with resurrection power. 



At Jerusalem. 87 

Christ has taught his disciples to pray for daily bread, 
fresh water and manna, and garments that wax not old ; 
but it is to be feared that there are too many Gibeonites 
with their old musty hopes, and threadbare professions. 
Says Beecher: "You might as well go to the catacombs 
of Egypt, and scrape up the dust of the mummies, and 
knead it into forms and bake them in your ovens, and 
call them men, and present them as citizens and teach- 
ers for our regard, as to bring old, time-worn institutions 
to serve the growth and living wants of to-day." Such 
church members in a revival are like dead trees that 
have been blown over and have lodged in the branches 
of living trees; and our entire Zion is now groaning to 
be delivered from such dead bodies. O! Lord, cleanse 
the net. 

But we are forgetting our theme of battles and vic- 
tories, — we have almost got to preaching. So we will 
pack up our duds, and start along and make the next 
halt on the heights of Jerusalem. Well, here we are 
safely within the gates. But, alas! what a scene of 
carnage we have witnessed — vast fields crimsoned with 
human blood. We saw, too, some wonderful things. 
The sun stood still over Gibeon, and the moon on the 
valley of Ajalon, waiting to see the triumph of Israel, so 
that the news could be carried to the antipodes. We 
have had a noisy trip, showing the truthfulness of the 
prophet's remark, that the battle of the warrior is with 
confused noise and garments rolled in flame. 

And now that we are at Jerusalem, we will put up 
at one of the hotels, and rest and refresh ourselves 
after so long a journey, and get ready to attend in the 
next chapter the celebration of the return of the ark 
to the chosen people. It was a sad day when the 
Philistines captured the ark and Israel lost the sacred 
depository of their law. God permitted this as chastise- 



88 At Jerusalem. 

ment for their sins. The sins of the sons of Eli the priest, 
were the scandal of the nation. They openly committed 
adultery before the congregation. Eli heard of it, but 
gave them only light reproof. God was displeased with 
such family government, and severely rebuked the 
indulgent old priest, and threatened the destruction 
of his house. In due time the Divine word was fulfilled; 
the house of Eli was no more, and among the disasters 
that came upon the nation were the massacre of the 
army and loss of the ark. The glory of Israel had 
departed. The violation of the law of God brings only 
disaster and disgrace. But the ark is to be restored, and 
the people are to have a happy time over it ; and now that 
we have had our refreshments, and a bumper of the 
sparkling wine of the kingdom, we will take our rest 
and be ready for the celebration. 



Chapter XVII. — A Celebration and a Dinner. 

It is true, as you say, that we are getting along rather 
slowly on our way to the Gospel dispensation; but we 
cannot pass without paying our regards to King David. 
We must pause and see the ark again resting under the 
overshadowing wings of the cherubims, and witness the 
joy that displaces the sorrows of Israel. We wish to 
leave the charge in the midst of a revival for the next 
preacher. We do not want him to hear the first thing 
the sickening, threadbare story, "I do not enjoy myself 
as well as I did before the ark departed." Instead of the 
chattering of bats and the peeping of moles, we want him 
to hear some of the old fashioned amens and halleluiahs. 
We want to see every harp taken down from the willows 



Why the Glory Departed. 89 

and Jerusalem made to resound with the songs and 
praises of victorious saints. 

In the previous chapter we told you why the glory 
of Israel had departed — how the ark came to fall into an 
enemies' hand. We must now look up the sacred 
depository of the stone tables. We find it among the 
Philistines; but it is to them what Elijah was to the 
household of Ahab and Jezebel. They called him the 
troubler of Israel, just as every sanctified preacher or 
private member will be called by those whose deeds 
they reprove. The ark of the Lord troubled the idols 
of the Philistines, and, of course, the Philistines them- 
selves. Dagon, with the head and arms of a man and 
the body like a fish — like many gods of the nineteenth 
century, of an amphibious nature, whose votaries can 
live in or out of water. There are some professors of 
religion who can go to a ball room or a gaming saloon 
and seem in their natural element, just as much as a 
bull-head in the pond, who, on the Sabbath, spread 
themselves in the broad aisles, take a high seat in the 
synagogue, and talk beautifully of the excellence of 
religion, and have a holy horror against shouting, fall- 
ing, and all peculiar religious exercises. But Dagon 
— he cannot stand while the ark is in his court upon 
his high pedestal. He falls to the floor, and his head 
is ignominiously broken off. Ah! how terrible must 
have been the death struggle of the god of giants. He 
was something like a monster described by Dow. A 
neighbor asked him what he thought of a certain person's 
religion. He answered, that in his opinion it was entirely 
in his head; break off that and he would drop into hell. 
But, after all, it will be perceived that Dagon fell with 
the power. He was alone in the room with the ark of a 
God whose word is quick and powerful, and down he 



90 Head Religion. — Ark on a Cart. 

came ingloriously enough. May God upset all the 
Dagons of our land ! Amen ! 

But we must not delay. Our brethren and sisters 
at Bethlehem are on their knees praying for the ark 
to return speedily. Well, here it comes. The Phil- 
istines are glad to get rid of it. They have placed it 
in a cart, and hitched two new milch cows before it, 
and have started them off without a driver. Away 
go the cows, leaving their darling calves behind, bel- 
lowing as they go, so as to attract attention of all to the 
precious load they are drawing. Great was the joy of 
the Philistines as they saw the ark they so much feared 
move off; just as dead formalists at the present day 
rejoice to get rid of holy Christians, who are the lineal 
descendants of the t Gergesenes who desired Jesus to 
depart from their coasts. But, says Jesus, here are two 
of your neighbors saved from Satan's power. Oh, they 
reply, what a rush of swine, and loss of property — your 
presence will ruin the country. 

But what is this we see! Rev. Mr. Uzzah thought 
that the ark was going to tumble off the cart; he put 
forth his hand to steady it, and God struck him dead 
as Dagon on the threshing floor. But why this fearful 
judgment? He had an epidemic that terminates sud- 
denly fatal, and which has prevailed in every age. He 
was one of those wise, prudent professors that dare to 
meddle with God's private affairs. He was afraid that 
God could not stand alone, but would fall, and perhaps 
have his head broken off. How many are doing the 
same thing. When the ark enters the Church during 
an outpouring of the Spirit, and some peculiar demon- 
strations appear, how many there are to put out their 
hands to steady matters, and like Uzzah, they are struck 
spiritually dead. 




DAVID DANCED BEFORE THE LORD. 



Curtain Lecture. 91 

But what is this we now see and hear? Thirty 
thousand chosen men with their white plumes waving 
in the gentle breezes, beckon us away. A thousand 
skillful players of every instrument of music that art 
could produce makes the nerves of the body vibrate 
like a splinter on a rail in a winter's wind. David 
now orders the ark from the house of Obed Edom, where 
it had rested long enough to bless abundantly his house- 
hold. Glory to God! our hearts leap with joy as we see 
the face of Jehovah again set towards Jerusalem. 
The ark is borne upon the shoulders of chosen ministers. 
The procession forms ; it marches forward six paces and 
then halts, while a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving 
is offered for the glorious prospect of a revival. And 
nov/ the march begins again. O! listen to the loud 
sounding timbrels, the songs of praise mingled with 
hearty amens and halleluiahs, and the deafening shouts 
of the multitude. But what is King David doing? 
What part does he bear in the performance? Is he 
dashing cold water on the sacred flame? Is he putting 
out his hands to steady the ark? Is he wondering what 
his neighbors or his dear wife will say about it? No, 
Glory to God. He danced with all his might before the 
ark, and even while his wife, Michal, the daughter of 
Saul, was looking daggers at him from the windows of 
his palace. 

And now, in the tabernacle again, the ark rests be- 
neath the cherubims. Salvation, like floods of milk and 
wine, inundate the city. The festivities over, the people 
are dispersed loaded with rich presents. And now 
David, who has been on Pisgah's top and in Mount 
Tabor's glory, is to walk on spear points and spikes in a 
sort of Gethsemane. He has been eating with joy un- 
speakable the roasted lamb, but now he is to have another 



92 Curtain Lecture. 

course of bitter herbs. Fiery j avelins, keen as lancets, are 
hurled at him, not by his father-in-law, but by his wife, 
who became sole heir of her sire's envy and malice. The 
lamps are all blown out, the servants are all enjoying 
"tired nature's sweet restorer," and all is as silent as a 
Quaker meeting. No, no, not quite. A curtain lecture 
is going on. Michal's tea kettle had kept boiling ever 
since she saw David in the holy dance, and now it not 
only boils over into David's fires, but spouts out of the 
mouth into his face. How beautiful, she says sarcas- 
tically, for the king of Israel to unman himself in the 
eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the 
vain fellows shamefully uncovereth himself. O! she 
says, how mortified I was to see you act so. Amen! 
says David; Lord mortify her more still — it is the only 
pill that will save her proud soul; kill her pride dead, and 
from its death may there spring up the green blade of a 
meek and quiet spirit. David did not succumb to his 
proud wife; he made no apology for his peculiar perfor- 
mances ; if he had God would have been ashamed of him, 
and his soul would have withered like the fig tree under 
the Savior's curse. He told her that he would apply still 
more of the same caustic, until all the proud flesh should 
be burnt off her scolding heart, so that God's panacea 
could be effectually applied. Amen! halleluiah; let 
us stand up for Jesus and he will stand up for us and 
give us an introduction to the flowers of his court. 

Thousands in modern times know how to sympathize 
with David. Many a person has danced and shouted 
before the ark as it returned to Jerusalem, and then gone 
home to get a curtain lecture on the subject of impro- 
prieties in Church. But God is angry with these lecturers. 
He struck Uzzah dead, and Michal died childless. A 
mother's joy was never the lot of the daughter of Saul. 
Ministers or laymen who do as she did, will die spirit- 



Bell for Dinner. 93 

ually, and die without bringing forth a son of the King. 
Better that a millstone were hanged about the neck and 
persons sunk to the depths of the sea to lie alongside 
of the telegraphic cable, than to despise the demon- 
strations of religious joy occasionally seen at our Jerusa- 
lems. 

And now that we have tarried with David as long 
as time will permit, we will just pass along down to 
the time of Solomon. Well, here we are at the depot. 
But what is this confused noise? The bell is ringing 
for dinner, and the runners are crying at the top of 
their voices, "Come, for all things are now ready." 
As the Kentucky man would say, here is a right smart 
chance. 

Solomon is now at the zenith of his glory. He has 
a regiment of wives arrayed in oriental splendor, covered 
with brilliant colors, sparkling gems, and filling the 
air with their perfumes. His table is surrounded, too, 
with a large train of princes and noblemen. Here, too, 
is the noise of battle, but altogether a one-sided affair. 
The knife and fork are the only warlike instruments used 
in the golden saloon, and they are used with marvelous 
effect. This is a war that gives life instead of death, and 
there is a spiritual banquet that gives the highest kind of 
life. It beggars description. Those who taste its sweets 
say, as the Queen of Sheba, that the half had not been 
told. The last entertainment of Solomon cannot com- 
pare with the feast that the King of kings sets before his 
children. None could sit at Solomon's table but those 
of illustrious birth, and at the table spread by the great- 
er than Solomon, none can sit unless they can trace their 
pedigree to the ancient of days, glorious in his apparel, 
and traveling in the greatness of his strength. And it 
is a glorious table to which the Father invites his children. 
Solomon had a few menials to wait upon his table, but 



94 Widow's Crust. 

the Father has myriads of swift-winged angels. And 
nothing is too good for the child of God. Fat things 
filled with marrow, with wine on the lees, are his repast. 
A good sister, the widow of a drunkard, stopped at the 
door of a three story marble front. The occupant was a 
rich man; himself and family fared sumptuously every 
day. A servant threw the poor woman a dry crust of 
bread from the back door, which she picked up, saying, as 
she did it and thanked God for the blessing, "all this 
and heaven besides is mine," and tears flowed bounti- 
fully down her emaciated but joy-illumined cheeks. 
The rich man saw and heard. An arrow pierced him. 
He looked around upon his wealth and splendor, and 
said, "all this is mine and hell besides." Thank God! 
the arrow stuck fast. The poor widow was called in, 
the mourner's bench was brought forward, the rich 
man asked the poor woman's prayers, he gave all for 
Christ, he got a free ticket for the banquet of heaven, 
the leaven spreading, soon the whole lump of the house- 
hold was saved, and the woman found a home for the 
rest of her days, where all earthly comforts were afforded 
her. O, Lord, multiply the number of such cases 
Amen! Reader, there are tickets to be had without 
money and without price. They can be had whenever 
applied for at the throne of grace. "Come, for all things 
are now ready." 



Chapter XVIII. — Rebuilding the Temple. 

We will now, for the sake of convenience on our 
journey, play Rip Van Winkle again, wrap around us 
the cloak of forgetfulness, snuff up a little chloroform, 
and lie down in sleepy hollow; and after the lapse of 



Things Change. 95 

three centuries, we will wake tip, rub our eyes, and open 
the diary of olden times and see what changes it records. 
Well, here we are, wide awake again. But what is this 
that has disturbed our slumbers, and brought us so 
suddenly to our feet? It is the sound of instrumental 
music, of singing, the loud lamentations of the hoary 
headed fathers, and mothers of Israel, and the loud 
shouting of the young men. But had it not been for 
this noise, so afflictive to some, we should have slept 
on until Gabriel's trump shall have sounded; and it 
needs some tremendous voice to awaken the sleeping 
sinner, so that the sounding of the last trump shall not 
find him unprepared. 

Ah! what a wonderful change has been going on 
since we bade the queen of night adieu for a season, 
and resigned ourselves to our three century nap. Where 
is Solomon with his hundreds of wives and thousand 
concubines? Where are all the princes that sat at his 
richly laden, royal table ? They have become a banquet 
for worms. Solomon, so reads the diary of time, in 
summing up his life, so remarkable for wisdom, wealth 
and splendor, pronounces all things earthly but vanity. 
He fell from his glorious position. Wine and women 
were the cause of his downfall. Infamy crowned the 
head which had been wreathed with honors Divinely 
conferred. And Israel fell with their king. Divided and 
feeble, the people of the Lord were overcome and carried 
away captives by the king of Babylon. But God sent 
forth Ezra, a revival preacher, like our modern Caughey, 
or Spurgeon, to reinstate the nation in their former 
privileges, and to rear the temple which had been de- 
stroyed. A glorious revival commenced, and a noisy 
one it was too; and so are all true revivals in every 
age. A revival with no mourning, no music, no vic- 
tories and rejoicings, is a man made affair. When the 



96 Shouting and Weeping. — Bro. P's Remarks. 

Holy Ghost comes down there is a sound as of a 
mighty rushing wind, and the Church is in commotion 
at once. 

The walls were finally rebuilt, and the temple com- 
pleted. The temple was like a certain church edifice 
built in our own age. A Bro. P. told us he was invited 
by a minister to step within the walls of a newly con- 
structed church, to give it an inspection, before the dedi- 
catory services. Says the minister to Bro. P., look 
all around carefully, and if you see anything lacking in 
its adornments, please point it out; there is money 
enough on hand to supply what is wanting. Now Bro. 
P. was one of the old line preachers, and was always 
enquiring after the old paths. He replied that he saw 
but one thing lacking, but that was so little regarded 
in modern times, he thought it not worth while to men- 
tion it. O, said the preacher, only name it, the money 
is on hand to procure it. Well, said Bro. P., if you could 
only get God to come into it, convert souls, and fill it 
with his glory, it would be complete. So with the 
second temple. It lacked the ark of the covenant, and 
the glorious Shekinah, which was the chief glory of the 
first temple. 

But why did the symbol of the Divine presence 
forsake the chosen people? For the same reason that 
the Holy Spirit leaves those that quench his influences. 
A dough-faced old prie'st, as seen in a previous chapter, 
allowed his sons to commit adultery and other enormities 
even within the sacred courts of the Lord, and the 
result was the destruction of his family, the defeat of 
Israel's army, and the loss of the ark. Israel, by a 
succession of sins, under different kings, finally brought 
upon themselves ruin. They were carried away captive 
by the king of Babylon, the walls of their city and the 
temple of their God were destroyed, The glory of 



"Ichabod." — Triumph of the Wicked. 97 

Israel had indeed departed. The ark, overshadowed 
by cherubims, and the Shekinah, were forever lost. 
Thus when ministers and churches tolerate sin, even 
popular sins, God will turn his back upon them, and 
leave them nothing but a name. You might as well 
attempt to get an amen from an Egyptian mummy 
as from them. "Ichabod" is written on the pulpit and 
pew; their glory is gone. But while they are decorously 
silent, their enemies shout triumphantly. The Philis- 
tines shouted when Samson was shorn of his strength; 
and devils shout when Christians are vanquished. 

Ah! the noisy tumult in Pandemonium when our 
Supreme Judges overthrew the prohibitory law. How 
horrible the drunken revelry, and how great the ma- 
lignant joy of the venders of damnation! The regions 
of darkness rang with shouts as the liquid fire again 
began to flow over the land. God have mercy on the 
Judges. And now we ask, if devils may shout when the 
Christian is under, may he not shout when he comes out 
on top ? May we not join the songs and shouts that have 
aroused us from our sleep of three hundred years? 



Chapter XIX. — Advent of Christ. 

In this chapter we are to take our leave of many of 
the Old Testament saints, many of them renowned in 
battle and victory, and brilliant as the sun, whom we 
have had to pass, for want of time, with the mere tip 
of our beaver. They would, had we prolonged our calls, 
have made our book much noisier than it is ; but we wish 
to manifest as much tenderness towards our quiet and 
fearful readers as our "notes by the way" will admit, 
and beg our readers to remember that we are no more 



98 Backwards and Forwards. 

responsible for the noise, than Ezekiel was for the rattling 
of the dry bones when he began to prophecy. And now 
as we design to make this chapter a kind of long link, 
the link that hitches the train to the locomotive, reach- 
ing from the birth of Christ to the day of Pentecost, 
when the cars of salvation left the depot and started for 
the new Jerusalem, we propose to review our course, go 
back to Eden, and then hop, skip, and jump from 
mountain top to mountain top, until we arrive where 
the Lamb's wife is looking through the lattice of her 
windows, beholding with joy her beloved leaping as a 
roebuck on the mountain of spices. 

Well, here we are again, in the bowers of Eden, where 
we heard the sons of God shouting for joy, and attended 
the wedding of Adam, who was introduced to his partner, 
and united with her after a brief courtship. This union 
was the cap-sheaf of the joys of Eden. But we expect 
greater joy, and to hear louder shouts when the second 
Adam shall be married to his bride in the resurrection 
morning. 

Glory to God! we are all dressed and have a card 
for the occasion. Amen! halleluiah. But we must 
leave Eden, and come along down where the shaft of 
fire stood between us and our enemies, where the Red 
Sea parted, and where the triumphant songs were 
sung, and Miriam and the virgins had their grand qua- 
drille. Onward we must go, not forgetting to drink 
of the sweetened waters of Marah, to eat some of the 
rich manna and to have a feast on the luxurious quails, 
and without fail stop at the place where we attended 
family prayer and the sacred fire fell on the consecrated 
sacrifice. But here is a spot on the sun. We would 
be glad to pass it over. It is the shameful backsliding 
of preacher and people, whose unhallowed shouts even 
now disgust us. But thank God they repented, their 



Waiting. 99 

golden calf was ground to powder, they returned to the 
true God, and drank the waters that gushed from the 
rock, and again shouted from the top of the mountains. 
Those scenes will never pass from our memory, nor shall 
we ever forget the rolling back of Jordan's swelling flood, 
the loud shouts that caused the downfall of Jericho, the 
standing still of the sun and moon, the brilliant victories 
of the Lord's army, the painful scene when God's ark 
was captured, and the joyful celebration when it was 
returned, nor the banquet with Solomon in his royal 
saloon. And now we drop our pen, fold our arms and 
wait for the advent of the Savior of the world, for 
we hear a voice whispering in our ears, the Lord whom 
ye seek shall suddenly come to his temple, even the 
messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in. Saints 
of old were watching for the first, as many are watching 
for the second, appearing. But where shall we look 
for him? In the palaces of the Caesar's? Oh, no. In 
Bethlehem, little among the thousands of Judah. 

Look! A strange, unearthly light! It breaks forth 
and radiates as the eccentric comet. At midnight the 
shepherd boys are startled from their slumbers, and 
an angel comes to quiet their alarm, and prepare them 
for the announcement of the coming Christ. There 
was silence in heaven for half an hour, as the celestial 
orchestra left the golden streets to celebrate in the 
hearing of man the event of his coming. For miles 
around, the air is filled with silvery pinioned angels, 
and earth trembled as they sung, Glory to God in the 
highest, on earth peace, and good will to men. And 
then the announcement! In the city of David a child 
is born, a son is given, who is Christ the Lord, ever to 
be called the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Mighty 
God, the Everlasting Father. How mysterious! How 
can the eternal God, enthroned in glory, holding the 

L.ofC. 



ioo Rapture of Simeon. 

sea in the hollow of his hand, and weighing the moun- 
tains in a balance, be at the same time a helpless infant? 
But it is so. He is our Joseph. As Joseph, through 
adversity and pain, reached the right hand of favor at 
the court of Egypt, to bring his brethren to the land of 
Goshen, Christ has, through humiliation and suffering, 
ascended to God's right hand to bring to the heavenly 
land the household of faith. 

But now behold another scene. Old Simeon, his 
locks like the snow, is on his way to prayer meeting. 
The Holy Ghost has told him that he should not die 
until he had seen the Lord's Christ. Many times had 
he gone to the temple and returned without seeing the 
expected one, but his faith did not falter, and, rain or 
shine, his place in the temple was always occupied. 
Mother Anna and himself were always present at the 
appointed time of every meeting. And now a happy 
morning dawns on the faithful old man. Along comes 
Mary with the tender babe. As soon as Simeon sees 
it he detects the veiled Divinity, and knows that the 
Lord is come. He takes the child in his arms, he cares 
to live no longer, but in his raptures exclaims. "Now 
Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, accord- 
ing to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, 
a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy 
people Israel." Loud were Simeon's praises, and louder 
ought ours to be. We have a Savior that can be felt 
if not seen. If we cannot hold him in our arms we may 
have him formed within us the hope of glory. He has 
risen from the tomb, ascended on high and now awaits 
to come suddenly to eVery heart-temple that bids him 
enter. On his golden girdle there are hung two keys, 
one to unlock our moral prison and set our ransomed 
souls at liberty, the other to unlock the grave in the 
resurrection morning, when all shall rise, and the saints 



Heavenly Joseph. — Living Redeemer. ioi 

soar up to meet the Lord with shouts and songs. When 
it was told to Jacob that Joseph, his son, was alive, he 
fainted — that is he fell under the power of his joyous 
feeling ; so now the knowledge that our heavenly Joseph 
is alive, a fact revealed in the heart by the Spirit, often 
overcomes physical strength. How sad was Jacob for 
many years. How many tears he shed as he entered 
his closet and there saw the many-colored coat saturated 
as he supposed with the blood of the wearer; just as 
many a mother has wept over the little shoes and dresses 
of her departed little ones. But Joseph is restored, and 
the fountain of tears and sorrow is dried up, and his 
barren heart is made as fruitful of joy as the vine-clad 
hills. How sad the disciples as they were going to 
Emmaus, supposing the Lord to be lost to them, but as 
the Savior conversed with them their hearts burned 
within them, and their joy was unspeakable when they 
discovered that it was the Savior himself who had con- 
versed with them. So the Christian's heart burns within 
him. And here is the difference between a real and a 
formal Christian. One has a lively the other a dead 
hope. One shouts with joy, the heart of the other 
is cold and hard as a stone. One is in sympathy with 
the happy shouting ones in heaven, the other has more 
sympathy with a worldly, proud philosophy. The sun 
of righteousness shines upon the believing soul, imparting 
not only light, but heat; and let no man dispise the 
heat, the warmth of feeling, the ardor of effort, the 
fervor of petition and praise so frequently seen and 
heard, for without these the Christian has not yet 
reached the Bible standard. 

But we must close the chapter. You see our bold- 
ness is increasing. We have the angels to endorse us. 
If they who have never been redeemed rejoice in songs 
and shouts, may not we who have been redeemed roll 



io2 Watchword. 

back the anthem of glory to God on high? Dr. Payson, 
the Presbyterian, said he often wished for Gabriel's 
trump, to shout halleluiahs to the Lamb, glory to God 
on high. This is the language of heaven. It is studied 
in the schools of the saints on earth ; it is the battle-cry 
of the Lord's army, and it is the watch- word which will 
pass the saint safely over Jordan into the New Jerusa- 
lem. 



Chapter XX. — Christ Entering upon his Ministry. 

As the prophet Ezekiel waded up the river of life, 
he said the waters were but ankle deep. Continuing 
to stretch out his measuring line he soon found it over 
his knees. Not satisfied with this he again stretched 
forth his line into the future and found the water up to 
his waist. Onward, still, he moved, until he came to the 
broad bay where he could not touch bottom, and then 
cried, O, the depth of the riches of his grace. The bay 
mingles its waters with the shoreless, boundless sea of 
eternal bliss. Amen ! hallelujah ! This is the way young 
converts grow in grace; if faithful, they wade along up 
the river into the broad bay of perfect love, the banks 
of which are buried by the ebbing tide of the ocean, and 
whose waters flow back in fervent praises to the Author 
of all good. They live so near the ocean itself, that they 
can hold sweet converse with the mariners of the grand 
Pacific. — Thus, also, dear reader, with us, in our journey. 
Leaving Eden, we found the water only ankle deep, until 
we came to the spot where the shepherds saw celestial 
glory, and the angels shouted, Glory to God in the high- 



Search for Jesus. 103 

est, on earth peace, and good will toward man; here 
we went in at once, knee deep; but we are going on 
and expect to reach the ocean without a bottom or a 
shore. 

The water is deepening. It is above our knees. — 
God grant that it may rise above those of our stiff- 
kneed, spavined professors, so that they may readily 
bend when David says, Let us kneel before the Lord. 
The waters of life are a sovereign remedy for stiff joints. 
On the banks of the river grow trees, the leaves of which 
never wither. Every bough is bending with fruit unto 
holiness. The leaves, made into a poultice, are for the 
healing of the nations. But to be effectual they must 
be applied to the wounds by the hand of faith, and 
as hot as the patient can bear it. Servants of God, 
preachers of the Cross, warm up the poultices with the 
sacred fire, and bind them on the sinner with the bandages 
of clear argument and prevailing prayer. 

But we must pass along, and look for the foot-prints 
of the illustrious person who was the mighty God and 
yet a humble child. Here are Joseph and Mary com- 
ing, filled with anxiety, rapping at every door as they 
pass along, enquiring of the inmates of the houses if 
Jesus had been there. All are startled at the inquiry. 
Jesus! say they, we do not know him, we are sure he 
has never entered our dwelling. And so they pass on 
from door to door, receiving similar replies. At last 
they rap at the right door, and find Jesus about his 
Father's business. He is in the temple disputing with 
the Pharisees. The very place, dear reader, where 
your humble author found him. After rapping at all 
the wrong places for six sad months, we at last found 
him in our earthly temple, disputing with the Pharisee 
within. But he soon cast him out; and if Joseph and 



104 John the Baptist. 

Mary were happy when they found Jesus in the temple, 
so were we filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory 
and could sing, 

I've Jesus Christ within me, 

He's turned the Devil out; 
And when I feel the glory, 

It makes me sing and shout. 

We will pass along a few years. Do you see that 
young man, of full stature, symmetrical form, and 
lamb-like countenance? He is making an ox-yoke. 
We repeat to you, poor infidel, that he is the mighty 
God. He is our Savior. In his veins flows the crim- 
son panacea for the sins of the race. There is no ill 
which flesh is heir to that it will not cure. But who 
is this we see standing on a rock near the banks of 
Jordan? All the highways and lanes from hill and 
valley are crowded with people, eager to hear him. All 
classes are there, from the ragamuffin to the member 
of the grand Sanhedrim, clothed in fine linen and royal 
purple. He holds his audience by the strong cords of 
eloquence. He is no modern dandy. No gold studs, 
beset with sparkling gems, glitter upon the bosom of 
his fine dicky, or well starched wristbands. He does not 
swing a gold headed cane, or carry a gold watch attached 
to an expensive chain. He does not haul out the precious 
jewel to see how many minutes he shall preach, and to 
show it to his congregation. His college was among 
the rude rocks of the wilderness. His daily food was 
locusts and wild honey. His wardrobe consisted of a 
camel's hair surtout, with a leather strap for a girdle — 
mortifying indeed to the upper tens of his audience. But 
all are spell bound. This is John the Baptist, the fore- 
runner of the Lord, the greatest born of woman. His 
preaching was as plain as his garb. He even told 



Behold the Lamb. 105 

some of his best paying members and pew holders 
that they were a generation of vipers, and had the 
boldness to ask them how they expected to escape the 
damnation of hell. At a subsequent time he was in- 
vited to take lodgings with one of royal blood, and 
had the audacity to charge the royal pair with adultery ; 
but it terminated with him as with all the square-toed, 
plain-spoken preachers, down to the present time; the 
lips that had spoken so boldly were served up in a 
charger. The head of the offensive preacher was more 
to the guilty queen than half a kingdom. But the 
guillotine is only the gate to glory to the faithful. 

But we see Jesus approaching, and as he advances, 
the pioneer preacher, standing on his rock platform, 
cries out, "Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away 
the sin of the world." Amen! Halleluiah! And now 
see his staff gather around him — his cabinet council. 
Not one of them is from the Court of Caesar, not one 
from the illustrious Sanhedrim. They are poor illiterate 
fishermen. With this little army, without wealth or 
learning, battle-axe or bow, sword or shield, he is to 
take the world, and kennel his Satanic majesty in a hell 
of his own digging. As he goes the itinerant platform, 
traveling in the greatness of his strength, mighty to 
save, we propose to go round the circuit with him. And 
now, infidel, if you will go with us and witness his wonder- 
ful acts, if you are not convinced that he is the mighty 
God, we must let you go. One foot on the sea of de- 
pravity and tears, the other on the continent of eternity, 
he declares, "I am God, and there is none else." 

But what is this? A card of ivitation to a wedding! 
Jesus and his mother and the apostles are among the 
honored guests. Well, here we are, all snugly seated 
the Savior in our midst. He has not yet manifested 
his God-like power — has never performed a miracle. 



io6 First Appointment. — Ten Lepers. 

This is his first appointment on his circuit. Here stands 
six large water pots filled to the brim with water; we 
put our cups under the faucet and draw nothing but 
water, for the reason that there is nothing but water in 
the vessels. Let us cast the water away. Now we will 
draw again. Out gushes the sparkling wine. The gover- 
nor of the feast is astonished at its mildness and life. 
The order of things was reversed, and they had the best 
of the wine at the last of the feast. It was wine that 
would not produce headache or drunkenness, but give a 
joyous vigorous life. Water will slake thirst, but wine 
makes glad the heart, and puts the shout into a man. 
We turn from the wedding, and our ears are saluted 
with the loud cries of ten lepers. The Savior speaks 
and their leprosy is, gone, and perfect health is restored. 
How sudden, how wonderful the change! How soon 
their groanings turn to shouts of joy! We move on. 
The stone cut out of the mountain without hands is 
increasing in magnitude and momentum. Another 
cry is heard. By the way-side sits blind Bartimeus. 
He has got some friendly hand to lead him out from 
his cabin to a seat on the king's highway, so that he 
may get something from some benevolent traveler. 
Several hours has he waited and received nothing. 
The winds shake his ragged mantle and chill him with 
their breath. Sad was the poor beggar's lot. His 
mother had often told him of the bright oriental sun, the 
silvery moon, the twinkling stars, the lovely green of 
the fragrant fields; but he could not comprehend her. 
His mother once asked him what the color of blue 
was like, and he replied, like the sound of a trumpet. 
His ideas of nature were quite as correct as those of 
a blind scepticism respecting the religion of the heart. 
But after all the beggar had a rich legacy left him. 
His hearing was good; and you know that faith cometh 



Blind Bartimeus. 107 

by hearing. We have often thought that we would not 
give our ears for the best pair of eyes in the world, and a 
good farm to boot. If we have a dime in our pocket we 
can hire a little boy to lead us to the sanctuary of God ; 
but if we had the gold of California we could not hire 
any one to hear for us. The five senses are like five 
lovely children gathered around the domestic hearth. 
Death rides up on his pale horse and says, I must take 
one of the little group. The parents have none to spare, 
and could not possibly choose which one to let go. It is 
so with our gifts. We scarcely know which could best 
be spared. 

Just see how intently the beggar is listening. He 
hears the footsteps of a multitude. He is told that 
Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. Now, he says, is my 
time. The prophet Isaiah said that when he came, the 
blind should see. And now he cries aloud — at the 
top of his voice: "O! thou son of David, have mercy 
upon me." The Pharisees tried to stop him, but every 
time they tried to stop him he raised his voice an octave 
higher. His cries were quickly heard by the great 
Oculist, who gave the command for the battalion to 
halt. The mourner stumbled along until he got Jesus 
by the hand, who said tenderly what wilt thou have me 
to do. Oh, sings the mourner, remove this grievous 
blindness. A single touch of the finger of the Physician, 
and light filled his soul. The beauties of nature were 
revealed to him, and his soul was filled with rapture. 
He left his ragged mantle and joined the army, and went 
on leaping and praising God. 



io8 Ten Lepers. 



Chapter XXI. — Feeding the Ten Thousand. 

Well, fellow Pilgrims, what do you think of the new 
preacher? You seem to be delighted with him, though 
not half round the circuit yet. You enjoyed the wed- 
ding party and partook freely of the wine. This wine 
is a sure remedy against croaking ; and if any wish to get 
rid of a croaking spirit, they must adopt a rum-drinkers' 
maxim — to keep the spirits up, pour spirits down. If 
you had imbibed a little more freely you would not have 
been tried at the second appointment, when ten lepers 
were at the mourners' bench crying loudly for mercy, all 
at once. There was so much noise, you say, that you 
could not hear your own voice, when you undertook to 
pray for them ; and you were tried when the preacher in 
charge encouraged instead of putting them down. 
You thought it strange that he should seem pleased 
amidst their loudest wailings. In a word the preacher 
changed their sorrow to gladness, although at quite a 
distance; and one of the cleansed — a weak brother, 
some would say — ran with all his might shouting glory 
to God, and dropped on his knees at the Redeemer's 
feet, and offered the richest gift possessed by mortals 
— a heart overflowing with gratitude. This paid the 
doctor bill, and he received a receipt in full, written 
on a white stone; also he received a warranty deed of 
an inheritance with the saints in light. Amen! Hal- 
leluiah! But while Jesus rejoices over the one convert 
as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, where, alas! 
are the nine? They are ingrates — poor backsliders. 
Come, Christian, and offer your sacrifice of praise 
lest your leprosy return, and your state be worse than 
before. 



Out Door Meeting. 109 

Blind Bartimeus, too, made a great deal of noise, 
notwithstanding the class leaders did all they could 
to stop him. He would not rest until he reached the 
spot where the great eye opener stood, who turned his 
darkness to a most marvelous light. But how much 
better, you say, it would have been if he had not jumped 
about in such a peculiar manner. Dear friend, if the 
light of the sun pouring into the eye just cured of blind- 
ness causes a man to leap with joy, why not leap for 
joy when the light of God illuminates every chamber of 
the soul? Even now, while writing, our soul leaps for 
joy; and we remember when body and soul has leaped 
with joy untold. Glory to God! our divine oculist still 
lives. The first thing we expect to see is the King in his 
beauty, and we expect to leap with a glorified body from 
mountain top to mountain top in the realm of glory. 
Glory to God! for the bright prospect. 

But we must hasten on to the next appointment, 
where we are to have a kind of camp meeting. Well, 
here we are, ten thousand of us in number, including 
men, women and children. From every quarter we 
see wheel-barrows, litters, vehicles of various sorts, 
conveying the maimed and the diseased. They are 
cast down all around the mercy seat. And now the 
brethren are down upon their knees praying that they 
may be healed. Look here, sceptic, and witness a 
manifestation of God's saving power. Three hundred 
cripples and sickly persons are at the mourners' bench. 
We tell you, as we have already told the mourners, 
that if they will only touch the hem of the Savior's 
garment, they shall be made perfectly sound. Now, 
see the suppliants approach. A poor cripple comes 
and touches his garments, throws his crutches away, 
and runs and leaps before the multitude. Now comes 
a blind man, and light pours into his soul and heaven's 



no Saving Power. — Multitude Fed. 

praises out of his mouth. Another comes, and the dumb 
devil is cast out, and his tongue sings the song of the 
redeemed. Thus all were made perfectly whole. Hal- 
leluiah to Jesus! No man-made revival this. But why- 
would it not have been as well to have touched the 
garment in some other place besides the hem? Is there 
not as much virtue in that part which rests upon the 
shoulders ? In one part of the seamless coat as another ? 
Very likely. But the hem is down low, below the Savior's 
knees, and persons must humble themselves to touch 
it, It is pride that keeps the soul from God. You are 
healed while meekly kneeling upon your knees. 

Here we have been three days so absorbed in the 
revival that we have forgotten to eat and drink. Peter 
proposed that the benediction be pronounced and the 
multitude be sent away to obtain refreshments; but 
Jesus replied, with a heavenly smile, I never sent my 
congregation away hungry and faint. There were five 
loaves and two fishes for the whole multitude of ten 
thousand. Now, Unitarian friend, stand at our elbow. 
The person whom you call a mere man will so multiply 
and bless these few loaves and fishes that the whole 
multitude shall be fed, and a large surplus remain. All 
sat down in classes of fifty on the grass. The bread 
is brought forth. A blessing is asked. The twelve 
apostles take their stand around the altar. Peter, 
foremost as usual, thought there would not be enough 
for the presiding elders and preachers. Yet they all 
determined to do as directed, and trust for the result. 
The bread is now broken. Peter's basket is filled first; 
and he takes a good bite himself, knowing that those 
who serve at the altar are also partakers of the gifts 
of the altar. So to the twelve. 

You remember how thirsty we were at Mount Horeb 
before the rock was smitten; and now sit on the grass 



Marvelous Loaf. hi 

ten thousand crying, give us bread or we perish. Now 
is verified the promise, they that hunger and thirst 
shall be filled. The very same Jesus that caused water 
to run from the rock, is now here to bless and break the 
bread of natural life. Ah! how wonderfully the bread 
multiplies. It must be leavened with resurrection 
power. All are filled. How contented and happy they 
appear. It is marvelous what strength and activity 
has been given to their faith. Say they, is this not the 
prophet that was to come? And with one voice they 
were ready to make him king. But Jesus, knowing that 
his kingdom was not of this world, despised these honors, 
and fled to the mountain to pray. Well, Unitarian, what 
do you say to this bread manufactory ? If this is only 
man's work what a blessing would the receipt for 
the manufacturing in this manner be to the poor of 
this world who earn their bread by the sweat of their 
brow. 

But we have something more marvelous still to tell 
you. The whole Christian world, from Abel to the 
present, have been feeding on a single loaf; yet there 
is enough for each, enough for all, enough forevermore. 
Glory to God ! Evermore give us this bread. The loaf 
was broken on the rugged tree. Having been blessed 
of the Father, the ministers of Jesus have, for thousands 
of years, partaken largely of it, and distributed it to 
their several congregations, so that all were satisfied 
who were humble enough to sit down on the grass and 
not too lazy to open their mouths, and to fill it with the 
bread taken by the hand of faith from the spiritual 
basket. All who are true believers, having been filled, 
acknowledge Christ as their sovereign, and ever have in 
hand a basket of fragments, gathered up from the 
banquet of love, to give to their hungry neighbors. 



ii2 Jesus on the Water. 



Chapter XXII. — Christ on the Stormy Sea. 

Our language is, arise let us go hence. The master, 
when he left, gave me orders to take ship and cross over 
the Sea of Galilee. It was a dark and fearful night. 
The storm king raised his windows high and began to 
amuse himself with the sleeping waters. None but a 
tempest tossed soul, whose fragile bark divides the white 
caps of tribulation, as it sails over the sea of depravity 
and tears, could have an adequate conception of the 
horrors of that night. The wind blew a steady gale in 
our faces, determined to make us backslide if possible. 
We reefed every sail. We laid hold of the oars of prayer 
and faith. When we got twenty-five or thirty furlongs 
the artillery of heaven began to play with her seven 
thunders; the fitful lightning shot out its forked fiery 
tongues, revealing to us our watery grave, and a fright- 
ened sea gull screamed our funeral dirge. Oh! what 
a moment — hope and despair alternating. Peter, bold 
Peter, was pale. To go back was death, to go forward 
could be no more. All hearts were as agitated as the 
elements. 

Now follows a scene that caps the climax. They 
behold, as they suppose, a ghost walking on the liquid 
element as if it were a marble walk. Sceptics now 
stand with us on the deck. When all the stars disap- 
pear, every eye is turned eastward, looking for the 
rising sun; so when every star of hope is blown out, 
and the tempest tossed soul is about to give up the 
ship, then is the time to look for the approach of the 
king of Salem, a present help in trouble. He is now 
within a stone's throw of the ship. He speaks with 
a voice like a silver trumpet, which falls sweetly on 



Sinking and Rising. 113 

the fearful mariner, "It is I, be not afraid/' To put 
the matter beyond doubt, Peter says, Lord if it be thee, 
bid me come unto thee. Jesus tossed back the command 
to come. Let us hold here a moment, and see the 
exercise of holy trust. Peter prepares, at the word, 
to leap off the ship. His brethren held him by the skirt, 
and reproved his rashness, gave him a lecture on phil- 
osophy, reasoning very clearly that a man of his weight 
must surely sink, and that he would doubtless soon be 
devoured by sharks. But Peter replies, do you not 
believe the person standing there to be Jesus, the mighty 
God? No doubt of that, all exclaimed. Did you not, 
says Peter, hear him command me to come to him? 
Most certainly, all reply. Do you believe him, continues 
Peter, to be a merciful God and Savior? All reply, 
surely he hath so proved himself in numberless instances. 
Well, says Peter, would a merciful prince command an 
act without the ability to perform it? Every mouth is 
stopped. Peter is determined to honor God by faith in 
his word. And now he walks boldly down on the crest 
of the billow, his eye, like the magnetic needle, pointing 
to the star of Bethlehem. But alas! poor Peter had his 
besetment too. He thought to try the experiment on 
his own hook, and the first he knew he was sinking. 
But he saw his danger in time, and cried, Lord save 
or I perish. In a moment he was lifted above the 
waves by an omnipotent arm, the Master rebuked him 
for turning his eye from him to the waves, which ter- 
rified him, and then they locked arms and walked over 
the waves to the ship. And now, says Jesus to Boreas, 
shut down thy windows, and all was calm; the sea, like 
a mirror, reflecting the loveliness of moon and stars ; and 
soon they were in the desired haven. 

Similar to this is the expression of young converts, 
or of a soul in a more justified relation to God. They 



ii4 Faith Stronger. 

walk erect in the waters of tribulation, until a new 
and peculiar trial comes; then they turn their eyes 
from Jesus to the trial, and down they go; then they 
cry, Lord save or I perish, and they rejoice that Jesus 
walks on the wave. But we show you a more excel- 
lent way. You recollect, on a subsequent occasion, 
they took Jesus along with them as they entered the 
ship, and when the waves began to roll upon their 
deck, they ceased from their own works, stepped down 
into the cabin and awoke him who holdeth the sea in 
the hollow of his hand, and he rebuked the winds and 
the waves, and there was a great calm. A soul sanc- 
tified, is blessed with an in-dwelling Savior. He walks 
with God, having the abiding testimony that he is 
pleased. Such a man goes through life without nature's 
pumps for water, for he has a well of living water within 
him. Neither is he dependent on any earthly brush- 
heap to warm him, for he has a sacred flame ever blazing 
on the altar of his heart. 

Well, here we are, snugly moored in the harbor of 
grace. Not a shout, or a hallelujah, since we took 
shipping. But our faith has been wonderfully increased 
as we have passed through much tribulation. We 
believe, more strongly than ever, that Jesus is God 
manifest in the flesh. This has resulted from our de- 
liverance from a watery grave, also from the breaking 
of the bread to the multitude, and from the cripple 
revival, when new legs, and arms, and eyes, were given 
by a single touch. We saw them leap and shout, and 
exclaimed, after all, the poor are among the blessed 
of earth. They are the only class that will beg for a ride 
in Jesus' chariot of mercy, which is lined with crimson, 
and whose only ornament is a malefactor's cross. If the 
God of all grace had raised his gates as high as the princes 
of this world do theirs, the upper ten would enter in; but 



A Question. — Peace like a River. 115 

they are so low that all have to get down on their knees 
like beggars, and the gate is just wide enough to squeeze 
in soul and body. All sin, however sweet, must be laid 
off outside the gate. Glory to God for that. Nothing 
can enter the pearly gates that is denied with sin. 
Amen! Hallelujah. 

But why has there not been as much shouting as 
on other occasions ? Let us remember that three things 
are necessary to make a heaven in the soul, namely: 
righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. We 
had the blessing of righteousness at the breaking of 
the bread, on the sea we had the blessing of peace, 
neither of which blessings are impregnated with a noisy 
element. To shout, under such circumstances, would be 
hypocritical and displeasing to God. But when joy in 
the Holy Ghost enters the soul, with its luminous flam- 
beau, then the spark is touched to the powder. This is 
the noisy wine of the kingdom. An old mother in Israel 
as she leaned on her staff, her eyes flashing with holy 
fire, the banks of her cheeks overflowing with tears of 
joy, began to tell her experience — how things were sixty 
years ago, when the Lord converted her soul, and a few 
years afterwards, when God gave her the blessing of 
perfect love. Sometimes, says she, I have a laugh- 
ing blessing, then I laugh; sometimes a crying blessing, 
then I cry ; sometimes a shouting blessing, then I shout ; 
but this morning, Glory to God! I have all three at once. 
So she played before the King on the three stringed 
harp. 

Oh, what a blessing is peace to a nation, after a cruel, 
bloody war. It is what a sweet calm is to a tempest 
tossed mariner. It is Mary's blessing while washing 
the feet of Jesus with tears of gratitude and love. God 
says, the peace of the man that loves him shall flow like 
a river; and if ours is not such it is because its springs 



n6 Benefit of Agitation. 

are not in Zion — because its sources are lowlands and 
marshes, not the fountains of the holy hills. True peace 
is not like a shower, falling in a temporary abundance, 
but like the river that flows by the cottage, always full 
and clear. The favored man hears the noise of its waters 
as he rises in the morning, he hears it as the sun goes 
down, and during his wakeful night hours. It was there 
when he was a child ; there it flows during his manhood ; 
it murmurs his requiem, and will sing for his children 
after him. Its waters are unfailing. Thus was the 
river in which Ezekiel waded. A weak faith only brings 
the waters to our ankles. The child, frightened in its 
play, runs to seek its mother, who takes it upon her lap, 
presses its little head to her bosom, and with tenderest 
love she looks down upon it, smooths its hair with her 
soft hand, kisses its cheek and wipes away its tears, and 
then in a low sweet voice sings some sweet lullaby of 
love; the cloud of fear passes from its face, which at 
once brightens up with a smile of satisfaction, the 
eyes close, and it sleeps in the depths and delights of 
peace. God Almighty is the mother, and the soul is 
the tender child which he folds so lovingly to his paternal 
arms and lulls into a delightful assurance of safety. So 
he giveth his beloved sleep. The mother's arms can 
encircle only one, but God clasps every yearning soul 
to his bosom, and imparts the peace that passeth all 
understanding. 

Not until the battle is over and the smoke has blown 
away, can we count the dead or weigh the spoils. Never 
do we know how many dead fish, how much mire and 
dirt, sleep in the bottom of the sea, until its waters are 
agitated by the tread of the tempest. Never do we 
know the corruptions of our hearts until persecution, 
tornadoes from earth and hell, stir them to their very 
depths, casting up to our astonished view such dead 



Our Father's at the Helm. 117 

fish, and mire and dirt, as anger, pride, hatred. Here 
is the trial of the faith and patience of the saints. Happy 
for us when our sea is agitated, and our defects are 
brought to the surface. Shake a bottle of water forever, 
and you cannot make it roily, unless there is a sediment 
at the bottom. The order of God is, first pure, then 
peaceable. No minister has authority to speak peace to 
a soul uncleansed by the blood of Christ. 

But we see the Master has a call to attend a funeral. 
We will close this chapter by singing: 



Though fierce the howling winds may blow, 
While o'er life's raging sea we go, 
And heave our vessels to and fro, 

Our Father's at the helm. 

Though lying to with close-reefed sail, 
While on us beats the furious gale, 
Our child-like faith will never fail, 
Our Father's at the helm. 



Though mountains on huge mountains rise, 
And toss us upwards to the skies, 
While many a sea quite o'er us flies, 
Our Father's at the helm. 



Though down we plunge deep in the wave, 
All threatened with a watery grave, 
It cheers our hearts that God can save, — 
Our Father's at the helm. 



Should tempest rage from day to day, 
And sweep our towering mast away, 
We'll quiet sit, and smiling say, 

Our Father's at the helm. 



Let wicked men and devils fear, 
While viewing death and judgment near, 
The child can sing without a fear, 
Our Father's at the helm. 



n& Our Father's at the Helm. 

Oh! blessed consolation given, 
To saints, while o'er life's ocean driven, 
To guide their bark and bring to heaven- 
Their Father's at the helm. 

Then let us join our cheerful songs, 
This stormy voyage won't be long, 
But soon we'll join the ransomed throng, 
For Father's at the helm." 



Chapter XXIII. — Christ Raising the Dead. 

The last minister we ever saw standing in the pulpit, 
was John A. Collins, of Virginia. It was in 184 1. At 
that time we heard him tell the following ancedote. He 
said, on his circuit there was a poor but very pious 
shoemaker. He was united to a woman of equal piety. 
God gave them several interesting children, who grew 
up like olive plants around his frugal table. His home 
was open for the itinerant, who was always more than 
welcome. One day I was surprised by a summons to 
preach the funeral sermon of the good brother, who had 
been cut down by the scythe of old time, without a 
moment's warning. The first thought that entered my 
mind was, what will become of the brood of little ones? 
for with all the industry of the father and the economy 
of the mother, nothing had been accumulated. I said 
to myself, how can I preach that funeral sermon? I 
shall have the widow hanging upon my arm and the 
children at my skirts, with their deep wailings and 
falling tears; my heart will be in my mouth and I shall 
melt as wax before the sun. I can never preach that 
sermon. But it could not be put off, so I summoned 
all my courage and faith, and went to the humble dwell- 



The Widow's Trust. 



119 



ing. I expected to be saluted as I entered, with tears 
and wailings; but how astonished was I to see all the 
children sitting on a bench in a row, neatly clad, each 
with a little handkerchief in hand, and the widow 
as calm and serene as a May morning. She was busy 
preparing and adjusting the habiliments of lover and 
friend for the grave. She met me, as usual, with a 
pleasant good morning. The tide of her soul stood still. 
The hour came at last, for preaching, and never did I 
preach with greater liberty. It was arranged that the 
widow should lean on my arm as the procession moved to 
the grave ; and I noticed that when the last sod was 
laid on the grave, and we turned to go away, that there 
was not a tear in her eye. I requested her to take my 
arm and return with the rest, but she stood like a piece 
of statuary, with her eyes upward. Her eyes became 
suffused with tears, and soon torrents rolled down her 
cheeks, and she said in a solemn voice, farewell, fare- 
well, farewell, my beloved husband, until the resurrection 
morning. This scene broke every rocky heart in the 
place of burial. Those pent up tears were sweetened 
by the doctrine of the resurrection, the lively hope of 
embracing her husband in the better land, where God 
shall wipe away all tears, and where pain and sorrow 
never come. Dear reader, the same Jesus that hushed 
the waters of Galilee, said to the widow, I will be thy 
husband, thine everlasting portion, a father to the 
fatherless. Thus her soul rested and nestled down in 
the bosom of the promises. 

The funeral we are to attend to-day, is something 
like this. It is in the city of Nain. Death had come 
like a ravenous wolf into the sheepfold, and taken 
first the infant from the cradle, then the father, and one 
after another of the family circle, until none remained 
but the widow and a little flaxen-haired boy, the very 



120 Widow's Hope. — Funeral Procession. 

image of his father, and the delight and hope of his 
mother. Often did she go to the lonely burial place, and 
prostrate herself beside the grave of the departed, 
thinking at times she could hear death reveling in his 
charnel house upon the cheeks she once loved to kiss; 
then would she go back to her lonely cottage and weep 
like Jacob over Joseph's coat of many colors, as she 
looked upon the coat and hat of her husband, and the 
toys of the little ones, and the gush of tears would give 
temporary relief to her sorrowful spirit. But she 
thanked God for one earthly prop, and her heart was 
comforted as she thought that she should lean on the arm 
of the son, just ripening into manhood, as she passed 
down to the banks of Jordan. But even then death was 
whittling an arrow, and whetting its point on the tomb- 
stone of the father, for the only son; and soon the last 
earthly hope of the widow fell. 

The long procession is now formed. One solitary 
mourner. Behold her clothed in her dark habiliments, 
leaning on the arm of a kind neighbor, following closely 
the pall bearers, who carry upon their shoulders the only 
son. The Savior looks upon this procession as it passes 
through the gates. His bosom heaves like the ocean 
with the swelling tide of pity. He raises his fore- 
finger significantly before the bier, and the throng 
suddenly stop. The coffin is lowered down. What now ! 
murmur the multitude; is it not written of him, when he 
comes, that he will give life to the dead? Now here is a 
good subject on which to display the power of the 
Divinity within him. Oh, what a moment of interest! 
He speaks! His voice vibrates the drum of the lifeless 
ear. "Young man, I say unto you, arise." The glassy 
eye now fires up with life. The young man leaps from 
the coffin, and in a moment is in his mother's arms. Oh 



Death of Lazarus. 121 

the bliss of that moment! Heaven itself can scarcely 
exceed its ecstasy. 

But we turn from this scene to another of equal in- 
terest. The Master has just received a dispatch, saying, 
"he whom thou lovest is sick." The hand writing was 
Mary's, who had more than once entertained the Savior. 
Her brother Lazarus was sick. This was a poor family. 
Lazarus was a bachelor, and he lived near the mount of 
Olives in an humble cottage, with his sisters, Mary and 
Martha. Their latch string was always out to welcome 
the hand of the Savior. Jesus was frequently there. 
Between him and this family there was a cordial love. 
When Jesus received this message he remained two days 
in the place where he was. Instead of weeping he seemed 
to rejoice that another subject was about to be furnished 
for the manifestation of his life giving power. As Jesus 
approaches the home of his friends, Martha sees him as 
soon as he enters the village. In a moment she is at his 
feet, with something like a murmur and reproof. Oh! 
says she, if thou hadst been here my brother had not 
died; but it is too late now; four days he has lain in the 
grave, the banquet of worms. Says Jesus, thy brother 
shall rise again. Of course, she replies, he will rise at 
the last day; he is one of the believers, and will have a 
glorious resurrection; but thousands of years will pass 
before this resurrection will take place. And now comes 
Mary. She drops at Jesus' feet. Closely is she fol- 
lowed by the neighbors, who supposed she had gone to 
her brother's grave to weep, for the purpose of comfort- 
ing her. All are in a flood of tears. Even on the cheeks 
of Jesus are tears. Ah! how he loved Lazarus, and 
sympathized with the sisters. Ah! those tears are like 
the leaves of the tree of life cast into the bitter waters 
of the soul, like honey flowing from the rock, sweetening 



122 "Come Forth." — Second Blessing. 

all our sorrows. And now a deep sepulchral groan is 
heard, and Jesus asks where they have laid him. For 
a moment he prays. The audience are in an agony of 
suspense. Another groan, and he commands the stone 
to be rolled away. Ah! this is a step beyond the faith 
of Martha; she thinks it presumption, and remarks that 
putrefaction must already have taken place. But Jesus 
puts his finger on one of his promises, and says, did I 
not say that if thou wouldst believe thou shouldst see 
the glory of God ? Now the stone is rolled away. Infidel 
look now with us into the cave. There lies a fellow 
mortal, cold and stiff as the marble. Feel of him. He 
is surely dead. And now we tell you, at the request of 
Jesus, that the spirit which for four days has been absent 
from the body, will return to it again, and fire it up with 
new life. All things are now ready for the mighty work. 
All things are possible to them that believe. God is 
never so truly honored by our faith as when we come to 
circumstances like those here narrated, when we are 
brought to hope against hope. And now the intercessor 
turns his eye heavenward and says, "Father, I thank thee 
that thou hast heard me ; and I know that thou hearest 
me always, but because of the people congregated here 
I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me." 
When he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, 
"Lazarus, come forth." Now look! Witness the secret 
power that sends the crimson tide through the veins 
again. The cheek which was pale as ashes, now bears 
the color of the rose and lily sweetly blended. The 
eye flashes with the light of life. With a one bound 
he comes forth a living man. 

He comes from the grave as all sinners do from the 
grave of sin. He was a live man it is true but Christ 
had to speak the second time to make him free. — 
When Jesus came from the tomb he left the grave 



Peculiar Exercises. 123 

clothes behind in the sepulchre ; but Lazarus was bound 
hand and foot, with a napkin over his eyes. Says Jesus, 
loose him and let him go. This is what the Methodists 
call the second blessing, or Christian perfection. Those 
who arrive at this state are free from a man-fearing or 
man-pleasing spirit, dead to the world but alive in Christ. 
This is the land of Beulah. The napkin of unbelief is 
torn off, and the strong cords of worldly glory and pride 
snap like Samson's green withes. Amen! Hallelujah. 
But why could not all this have been done without 
such a display of feminine weakness? A God weep- 
ing ? And what was the use of so much groaning ? Why 
need Jesus cry out so loud that he could be heard for half 
a mile ? God is not deaf. You have said this a thousand 
times to the ransomed followers of Christ. You have 
looked upon them with contempt as they have reeled 
under the burden of the Lord, when their prayers and 
agonizings might be heard afar off. Christ uses his fol- 
lowers to raise the spiritually dead to life ; and why may 
there not be as loud groaning and prayers at the grave 
of sin as at the grave of Lazarus? The demolition of 
Satan's empire, and salvation to the uttermost, in the 
heart and in the world, required great power, the exer- 
cise of which must occasion some unusual manifesta- 
tions. May all realize what the Savior means when he 
says: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see 
God." Amen! 



Chapter XXIV. — The Prodigal's Return. 

Truly Canaan is a hilly country. We have been con- 
tinually climbing mountains or descending their slopes; 
sometimes through narrow ravines, down into rich and 



124 Another Pisgah. — Feeding Swine. 

fertile valleys, where flow the still waters of peace. Here 
the sheep lie down in green pastures. In the foregoing 
chapter we marched in a funeral procession, with muffled 
drums; our flag was at half-mast, and our door knobs 
were hung with crape. We have gone through the valley 
of tears and the shadow of death. A mere shadow. A 
man must be a coward to fear a shadow: yet men who 
dare to meet any formidable foe on the battle-field, would 
be scared to death by a ghost, or death's dark shadow. 
But we have feared no evil ; the rod and the staff of per- 
fect love have reduced to a shadow all tormenting fears, 
and made the King of Terrors our humble servant, whose 
office it is to draw the curtain which shall introduce us 
into the chamber of the King of kings, and Lord of lords. 
Through this valley we have had no shouting. Our 
license does not permit us to shout except on the moun- 
tain top. 

Here we come to the base of another Pisgah. On this 
mountain the Lord has prepared a feast of fat things. 
We understand that an aged patriarch, of great wealth 
and renown, resides on this mountain. His stalls are 
crowded with fatted calves, reserved for the banquet 
celebrating the prodigal son's return, who, for a long 
time, was supposed lost. But a telegraph dispatch had 
informed his father that he was engaged in feeding swine 
for an old slaveholder in a foreign land; the dispatch 
further stated that he had wasted all his inheritance in 
riotous living, and upon the painted, seductive harlot 
of the world, and that he could scarcely be recognized, 
in his rags, as the son of an illustrious house, and that, 
hungry, penniless and friendless, he fed on the husks 
which the swine had rooted over and trampled upon 
and rejected; and it was further stated that the father 
loved him still, that he had had long nights of weeping 
over his loss, that his joy was great when he heard he 



Prodigal Coming. 125 

was alive, and would be greater when he should return. 
What will not parental affection do when human friend- 
ship faints away. It will break through dungeon walls, 
spring back bolts, enter gloomy cells, and embrace prof- 
ligate sons and daughters, filthy rags and all, and cry, 
O! Absalom, my son! When, then, the prodigal heard 
of this love of his parent, which had survived his excesses, 
he repented of his folly and said, I will arise and go to my 
father. He begins his journey and the father receives 
another dispatch informing him that the son has started 
for home. 

In his high observatory stands the old man, with his 
spy-glass in his hand, his white locks shaking in the spicy 
breezes of Canaan, looking for his son. It was with great 
difficulty that he could ascend the long flight of stairs; 
sorrow and old age had robbed his limbs of their vigor. 
He sees something approaching in the distance, and half 
believes it his son. It is somebody's son, says he, in 
rags. All the dogs are barking at him, and the rumseller 
that robbed him refuses to give him a drink of water. He 
looks again and shouts amen ! halleluiah ! at the top of 
his voice. O, how the waters begin to roar around us. 
The aged man is now a youth of twenty. He drops his 
telescope, runs down stairs, and goes along the road 
bounding like a roebuck. The son, as the father drew 
near, began the speech which he had carefully prepared 
before he left his swine-feeding, — Father, I have sinned 
against heaven and in thy sight, and am no more worthy 
to be called thy son ; make me as one of thy hired serv- 
ants. But before he had got half through his speech 
the father clasps him to his bosom, imprints the kiss of 
pardon on his cheek, and welcomes him as his son. Noth- 
ing but the scene at the gate of Nain, and at the grave of 
Lazarus can equal this. There is silence, broken only 
by sobs of father and son. Morse's telegraph is a won- 



126 Banquet. 

derful thing, but the Christian's is ahead of it. It takes 
several minutes to get a message all written out intelli- 
gibly on the world's telegraph, but God answers while 
we are speaking; and all this was as well known at the 
time of the prodigal as at the present. 

This scene attracted the attention of a squadron of 
angels, who halted on their journey to another part 
of the kingdom to witness it. The air was fragrant 
with their presence. The first words articulated by 
the son were, Father, I am hungry; no man would 
give me food; I would give the world for the rejected 
crumbs of thy servants. The father replies, that is 
not the food I set before my children. Then he turns 
to the servants, and says, search the wardrobe, bring 
forth the very best robe and put it upon him, and kill 
the fattest calf and prepare a feast; and to another set 
of servants he says, bring in bands of music; and then 
he put on his finger a ring as a token of endless love. 
What a change! For rags, he has a spotless robe of 
purity; his blistered feet are shod with the sandals of 
peace; and his head anointed with the oil of joy. But 
still, within him is an aching void. He is hungry and 
thirsty. His olfactories have already smelled the 
banquet which impregnated the air with its savor; 
his quick ear heard the pouring of the wine from bot- 
tle to goblet, and the band, at a little distance, tun- 
ing their instruments. The neighbors begin to assem- 
ble, all clothed in their Sunday suits, and the spacious 
salon is nearly filled. The hungry soul is obliged to 
tie down the wings of patience with the cords of prudence. 
But, finally, the bell rings, as much as to say, all things 
are now ready. The son is seated by the father, in the 
same chair in which he used to sit, and with the same 
knife and fork which he used to use. Never did he so 
appreciate a meal before. Everything was served just 



Amazement — Second Course. 127 

right, neither too salt nor too fresh, too hot nor too cold. 
The bread and the wine, the butter and the honey, were 
delightful! How wide he opens his mouth. He does 
not wait for compliments, but helps himself. Where 
should a child be fed if not in his father's house? Oh, 
what a welcome for a prodigal son ! 

In the midst of his enjoyment, he suddenly drops 
his knife and fork and sinks back into his chair in amaze- 
ment, and exclaims, can it be possible that I should 
turn away from such a table, and from such a father? 
and for the bar-room, the gambling saloon, the ball room 
and the brothel? and urge my way down to famine, 
misery, and suffering worse than death? Glory to 
God! he shouts, as he looks into his father's face, which 
shines as the sun; I am safe at home, and again dives 
into the banquet. 

Now the cloth is removed, the solids are taken away, 
and the second course comes on. Ah! says he, this 
spotless linen was the work of my mother, who used to 
take my tiny hands in hers, and lead me into the closet, 
and plant in the garden of my heart the flowers of truth. 
How she used to pour out her soul to the God of grace, 
praying that her little boy might grow up to be an 
ornament in the Church of Christ below and in heaven. 
But she is dead — died with grief during my sinful wander- 
ings. She has gone to heaven. Hallelujah! By the 
grace of God I will meet her there. And now he lays 
hold of the grapes and pomegranates that grew on the 
banks of Eschol. And now the champagne begins to 
ease all of their troubles ; and where sin abounded grace 
much more abounds. He takes down the old family 
Bible and looks on the newly made record of his return. 
He opens the pocket book which his father had just given 
him, and it is stuffed full of checks on various banks, 
of which he was the principal stockholder; or, in other 



128 Music and Dancing. 

words, the promises, exceeding great and precious, 
which would enable him to draw on heaven and on 
earth, things present and to come, for the supply of 
every need. 

Now all retire to an upper chamber, where they 
celebrate the return with music and dancing. There 
is a time to dance and a time to mourn, and certainly 
this is the time. The time of mourning is past, and 
joy lights every chamber of the soul. Says the prophet, 
let the virgins praise him in the dance; and David says, 
let us praise him with psaltery and harp, let us praise 
him in the dance. Here is our license — -license for 
leaping, clapping our hands, and other peculiar exercises. 
Halleluiah! we are again on the mountain top of salva- 
tion. Salvation! let the echo fly. 

See the old patriarch. He is renewed like the eagle. 
He is filled with the wine of the kingdom. He seems 
to have forgotten that he ever shed a tear. What a 
noisy time. No regard whatever to velvet ears. The 
joys of the Lord sweep, tornado-like, Gog and Magog 
and their whole regiment of the world's nobility, into 
the dismal swamp. Amen! Halleluiah! But who is 
this coming with angry brow? The elder brother. He 
calls one of the servants and asks the meaning of the 
great noise, the disorder and confusion which disturbs 
the order of the quiet household. Why, says he, I 
heard it in the cornfield, and have come to put a. stop 
to it. Take care, Pharisee! Dare you lay hands on 
your father's guests? Dare you attempt to silence 
him in the manifestation of his joy? The father goes 
out to meet his eldest son, and earnestly persuades him 
to join the happy throng. Anger flashed from his eye. 
He began to plead up his self-righteousness ; how very good 
he had always been; and yet never felt like shouting, 
hopping and falling under the power; hence it must be 



The Elder Brother. 129 

wrong. But it is written that they shall drink and make 
a noise as through wine, and shall be filled as the bowls 
and corners of the altar. They are doing as God re- 
quires. Who art thou, cast-iron Pharisee, that repliest 
against God? The father now pleads again, and urges 
the propriety of a jubilee over the returned son, for he 
was dead but is alive again, was lost but is found; but 
he would not yield, and remained without. 

But we must close this chapter, as we have more to 
say hereafter concerning the effects of the wine of the 
kingdom. 



Chapter XXV. — Christ's Grand Entry 
into Jerusalem. 

We must confess we had at the last appointment, 
a noisy, salvation time. And then such a dinner! 
Solomon never exceeded it in the height of his glory. 
Peter must have had his eye on such a dinner, when 
he exhorted new born babes in Christ, to grow up as 
calves of the stall. You recollect that a little previous 
to the birth of Isaac, Abraham as he was sitting in the 
door of his tent at Mamre, saw three men approaching, 
apparently strangers and pilgrims; with his accustomed 
hospitality and courtesy, he constrained them to stop 
and dine with him under an old oak, whose spreading 
branches shielded them from the sun's scorching rays. 
As the prodigal's father, he kept for his distinguished 
guests a fatted calf reserved; Sarah also was on hand 
with her smiling face, ready to make the short cake. 
Little did Abraham think that he was entertaining the 
Lord of lords and two of his honored servants, angels 
from glory ; but they had mantled themselves in human 



130 The Last Appointment. 

form, which could be cast off readily, to eclipse the 
brightness of their glory. And we do believe that the 
very same Jesus, and his attending angels were with us 
yesterday, at our sumptuous dinner, where the fatted 
calf was served up, with all the trimmings that could be 
furnished by earth or heaven; but like our brethren 
at Emmaus, our eyes were holden so that we could 
not see and know him; Oh, how our hearts burned 
within us nevertheless; and how the emaciated, starved 
prodigal, opened his mouth and stowed away the solids 
and fluids; we shall never forget it. And then the 
music and the dancing, with which all, except his offend- 
ed brother, celebrated his return. 

Young converts, like fat calves, should always stand 
up to the trough filled with pure milk; then they will 
always be ready to present their bodies, a living sacrifice, 
holy and accepted to God, through Jesus Christ our 
Lord. 

But we understand this day is to be head and shoulders 
higher, than any we have had. You say, you hope that 
things will be done decently and in order ; that the feelings 
of some of our lost brethren will be regarded a little 
more than they have been. Many of our best praying, 
and most genteel and respectable members, you say, have 
been disgusted with the noise and peculiar exercises, and 
have left and joined the church of the Laodiceans. Well, if 
they prefer to drink lukewarm water, rather than the 
wine of the kingdom, why, they can do it for all of us ; we 
are satisfied that nearly, if not quite all the noise we 
have heard, was caused by the wine; and it is written 
that the Lord shall make on this mountain of his holiness, 
a feast of fat things, full of marrow, wine on the lees 
well refined: we cannot, therefore, promise you less 
noise than we have had. The Scriptures cannot be 
broken, though the heavens fall. 



Fat Calves. — Better Times. 131 

But we see by the morning papers, that to-day Jesus 
is to make his grand entry into Jerusalem; it is therefore 
time for us to be off to Bethphage, near to Mount of 
Olives, where we understand the procession is to be 
formed. Already all the lanes and highways are crowded 
with the people gathering to attend the Celebration. 
It was an ancient custom to have set days, such as the 
fourth of July, to celebrate great national victories; 
and hours before the King and his train could arrive, 
every tree, cupola, and all elevated spots, would be 
covered with persons with spy- glasses, to catch the first 
appearance of glittering Royalty. Hundreds of acres 
would be crowded by an eager populace, to see the 
magnificent train as it came upon the chosen ground; 
and as the procession appeared, the air would be filled 
with the shouts of the multitude — long live the King — 
Vive l'Empereur. This, with the clapping of hands, the 
flourish of trumpets, the galloping of steeds, and the 
rumbling of chariots, made a scene beyond successful 
description. An old King on such occasions used to 
send a herald a little in advance of him, whose duty it 
was to turn round every five minutes, and cry out, 
"Thou art mortal." This, the height of earthly glory, 
is all such ever will enjoy, unless they join the meek and 
lowly army of Jesus. 

Well, here we are at the Mount. Peter and John 
are leading along with the halter, a very humble animal, 
head and tail down. Thus it was directed eight hun- 
dred years before, by the prophet Isaiah. He gave 
a circumstantial account of the manner of forming the 
procession, and how Jesus should enter Jerusalem, while 
the multitude shouted hosannas. The foal of an ass 
therefore could no more be dispensed with, however 
mortifying it might be to the supporters, than wine 
in the feast, Well, here the colt stands, and by its side 



132 Morning News. 

the Mighty God, for whom and by whom are all things. 
There he stands with a seamless coat, with a staff com- 
posed of a few humble fishermen. Some of the brethren 
and sisters are engaged in carpeting the road with their 
shawls, mantles, and overcoats, their very best. Thou- 
sands of young men are climbing the palm trees, breaking 
off branches, to wave as signals of triumph. Hundreds 
of acres are covered by men, women, and children, all on 
tip-toe waiting to see the column move. The most of 
them seem to be the common class, although there is 
a sprinkling of purple-robed Pharisees. They are in 
groups, taking counsel together. They are highly dis- 
pleased with the way things are going on. You re- 
member the saddle and all the trappings of an earthly 
monarch glitter with gold, and also the equipages of 
his whole cavalcade; but the King of Salem, though 
the Governor of the Universe, had not so much as a 
saddle to ride upon. So he had to borrow Peter's old 
fishing coat, as a substitute. Oh! how poor, how meek. 
You have seen a father take his little boy, three or 
four years old, and set him on a horse; so now Peter 
and John take him who created the world, and set on 
the humble animal. 

Let us hold here a moment. How many of his 
ministers would now be seen mounted in a similar 
manner, going to a city appointment? how many 
brethren and sisters would carpet the road in honor 
of the Lord? But the moment has arrived for the host 
to advance. Jerusalem! behold thy King cometh unto thee! 
The throngs that went before him, and followed after, 
cried: Hosanna, to the son of David, blessed is he that 
cometh in the name of the Lord — hosanna in the highest. 
Hosanna and salvation are synonymous terms ; and who 
would not shout to behold face to face the author of 
redemption from death and hell, and salvation in heaven? 



Jesus Mounted. 133 

John on Patmos heard a voice in heaven commanding 
all, small and great, to praise God; and, in accordance 
with this duty, the multitudes that followed Christ 
sounded the praises, reminding one of the scene in 
heaven, when, like the noise of many waters and mighty 
thunderings, Hallelujah's rang through the heavenly 
courts. 

In the midst of this triumph, a large and respectable 
committee of very wise and prudent brethren, from the 
conference then convened at Jerusalem, came to lay 
their hands on such peculiar exercises; very wisely, they 
made their first onset on the cause of all this so-called 
fanaticism. Thus, in the midst of a revival, they under- 
took to pull up the track, and block the wheels of the 
engine. Looking the Savior in the face, with the 
audacity of their father, the Devil, they peremptorily 
commanded him to silence the shouting. And now, 
reader, we will pause, and not move another inch, until 
the long controverted question of shouting or no shouting, 
noise or no noise, is settled by the Supreme Court, from 
which there is no appeal. The person before us, is the 
same at whose feet Abraham plead for his wicked 
neighbor; and whom he called the Judge of all earth. 

Not long since, our State was agitated with the ques- 
tion whether the shield of the Constitution should be 
held over the heads of rum and whiskey barrels, or over 
the heads of drunkard's wives and children. Four of the 
Judges decided it was unconstitutional to break in the 
cranium of whiskey and rum casks, and baptize the earth 
with their fiery brains; but entirely constitutional to 
leave heads of wives and children exposed to the violence 
of the subjects of King Alcohol, and all bowed to the 
decision. And late it has been decided in the Supreme 
Court of the United States, that negroes were chattels; 
and this decision is said to be final. But these decisions 



i34 Decision of Supreme Judge. 

have yet to pass another and higher Court — the highest 
of all Courts. There all things are to be judged by the 
higher law. The Judge of this absolutely Supreme 
Court, is here before us, meek, lowly. From his lips 
there is no appeal. The conference at Jerusalem, 
backed up by a proud and scornful world, resolved 
that loud shouting, laughing, leaping for joy, and 
other exercises, were unconstitutional; and must of 
course be from the Devil, for if not from above, they 
must be from below. One position or the other must 
be adopted. Spiritually, there are no illegitimate 
children — all are the children of heaven or hell. And 
now the Judge is about to decide. The subject has been 
carried up from the conference to the highest Court ; and 
now the question is to be put at rest. The deci- 
sion was as follows: If these hold their peace, the very 
stones in the streets would cry out. That settles the 
question forever, with your humble author. With Jesus 
to endorse our position, we will drive on our quill, until 
another scene shall appear which shall eclipse every 
other by its excelling glory. Pharisees clear the track, 
before you are carried off on the cow catcher, and thrown 
off into slough of Gehenna. 

You see, instead of putting out the fire, and cooling 
the vapor pent up in the boiler, the reverse has happened ; 
and the train arrived at Jerusalem the depot, with a 
louder whistle than was ever known before. St. Mat- 
thew says it was so loud that the whole city was moved 
— not the buildings, but their inmates. What is all this ? 
was the simultaneous inquiry. Says the shoemaker, I 
will go and see, and drops his last, puts on his hat, and 
runs with all his might to the depot, with all his journey- 
men and apprentices at his heels. Doctor and patient 
have forgotten their disease and are on the stretch for 
the cars. The grandfather and the prattling grandchild 



Committee's Report. 135 

are going as fast as they can. In five minutes, the 
whole city is on the ground, and on tip-toe, filled with 
wonder and expectation. They cry out with one voice, 
who is this? What is all this noise about? The happy 
multitude responds, this is Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet 
of Galilee. The King of Zion has come; let all the people 
shout hosanna. Amen! Hallelujah! 



Chapter XXVI. — Christ Cleansing the Temple. 

The committe return to conference — Caiphas in 
the chair — and present their report; wherein they 
set forth their grievances: that the Nazarine trampled 
under his feet the expressed will of the body they 
represented; and, instead of commanding silence, en- 
dorsed the whole affair, ridiculous and fanatical as it was ; 
and, say they, your committee further report, that they 
and their petition received scandalous treatment; why 
sirs, he called us a generation of vipers, and compared 
us to whited sepulchres, fair without, but corrupt within 
— full of deceit and extortion, and accuses us of making 
long prayers, to deceive men, while at the same time we 
were taking the last morsel from a poor widow's table; 
and, moreover, he said we were fools and blind, and to 
cap the climax, said in reference to our acting as your 
committee, that we would not enter into heaven our- 
selves, and were doing our best to keep others from 
entering, by chilling their ardor, and driving them back 
to perdition. By the time the report was completed, 
the Chairman and the majority of the Sanhedrim — 
conference — were on their feet, their faces turkey-red 
with rage. 



136 Cleansing Process. 

But just at this point, a great noise was heard in 
another part of the Temple, occupied by speculators 
who bought animals for sacrifices, and sold them to 
the Lord for a profit of one hundred per cent. There 
was also a bank here, of which Mammon was the Presi- 
dent, his son-in-law, Mr. Shave, the Cashier. In an 
obscure part of the court, were poverty speculators, and 
other small things of the same sort. The noise was the 
outcry of speculators and bank directors, as they cringed 
under the Savior's scourge, and the crushing of falling 
tables, and the jingle of the money, as it scattered on 
the pavement, all making a scene of din and confusion, 
as if Bedlam had disgorged its inmates. The conference 
broke up in disorder, and all ran out to see what was 
going on; and whom should they see but the same 
troublesome Nazarine, with a scourge in his hand, his 
brow clouded with indignation, clearing the Temple of 
every soul that was in it ; and what should they hear but 
this bold declaration : It is written that my house shall 
be called a house of prayer, but ye have made it a den 
of thieves. But how does this effect the committee of 
the whole? O see! their turkey-red has changed to 
ashy paleness. A cowardly set. Not one dare lay 
hands upon him. 

By this time, the brethren and sisters have carried 
the trash all out doors, have cleansed the Temple, and 
are to have a Sabbath School Celebration. Glory to 
God ! what a sight ! what work has been wrought ! and in 
one short hour! Here are a thousand children just 
simple and humble enough to be taught of God, in the 
first principles of the oracles of God, and to be led from 
them to perfection. 

But here comes a blind man and cripple to be healed. 
They were not fortunate enough to be at the cripple's 
revival, a few days ago, but through their friends they 



B. o. Celebration. 137 

have heard of it, and they have come a considerable 
distance, without a penny in their pockets, to see the 
great surgeon and physician, whose services were given 
without fee. The joyous transports of the two converts 
were so great, that all within the sound of their voices 
were melted down, so that a revival broke out right in 
the Sabbath School, and salvation began to run like 
holy oil from vessel to vessel, until the Temple rang 
with shouts, and hosannas; and tiny amens were heard 
all through Jerusalem. This raised the Devil again 
among the Pharisees. Poor fellows! Like the troubled 
sea, they cannot rest. The mire and dirt of hypocrisy 
and wounded pride, constantly cast up. Another com- 
mittee was appointed to request the troublesome preacher 
to silence the noise of the young converts ; but as Spur- 
geon has it, he took a great rock and threw it on them 
and ground them to powder; or, in other words, they 
hurled the word of God at them which says, out of 
the mouths of babes and sucklings, thou hast perfected 
praise ; that the heavenly choir are composed of such, and 
thus proved Pharisaical professors of religion, bank direct- 
ors, and speculators, never would see inside of heaven, 
except they were converted and became as the children 
they despised ; and, that it was better to have a mill-stone 
tied to their necks and be cast into the sea, than to 
offend one of the little ones whom God owns. If one 
sin more than another will forge a thunder-bolt of Divine 
wrath, it is ill treatment to a young convert. An 
affectionate mother and father, not long since had occa- 
sion to go on a journey of a hundred miles, and were to 
be gone for a week. They left a group of seven children. 
The last words spoken by the mother were, take good 
care of the babe, and the sick one that lay on the couch. 
Yes, says the father more sternly, if I find you have 
neglected the babe, and the feeble child, I shall be 



138 Another Committee. 

highly displeased with you. Thus Jesus gives special 
command to care for the babes and the enfeebled. Why 
in the day of final accounts, will Jesus say to some, come, 
ye blessed, and to others, depart, ye cursed? The right- 
eous looked often to the little ones and supplied their 
needs; the wicked neglected it. Christ well knew that 
the wealthy and the noble of the Church, would be 
looked after, and never suffer from neglect. But the 
lambs? Alas, he might say to many, thou art neglecting 
me, and perhaps to some, why persecutest thou me. 
O ye ministers, that pass by the poor and dependent, in 
your pastorial visits, and call only on the rich, who are 
able to pay well. Ye scoffers that dare to lay your hand 
on the mouth of the happy ones, who shout and sing 
hosanna in the Temple, behold yourselves in the withered 
fig tree, cursed by the Savior. They are members of 
Christ's mystical body. The little toe, if stepped on, 
sends a thrill of pain through the whole frame; and an 
injury done to the humblest believer, sends a thrill to 
the head of the body, which is Christ. In the twinkling 
of an eye his sympathies are stirred. A sparrow falls 
not unnoticed ; and the soul saved is of more value than 
many sparrows. The crime of Dives, who lifted his eyes 
in torment, was, that his income was lavished upon his 
back and palate, and that he neglected the poor at his 
gate. Alas ! it is not the gross, vulgar sins of to-day only, 
but the fashionable ones that are sending men to hell. 
But as we have a quill seasoning for another book on 
outward adornings, and popular sins of the day, we 
only touch such points and pass on. 



Extravagance. 139 



Chapter XXVII. — The Crucifixion, Resurrection 
and Ascension. 

Well, dear reader, you say it is a foggy time with 
you — that you hardly know what to think or believe, 
for you have had Christ for a stumbling stone all the 
way through; and he has been to you, though so pre- 
cious to some of your neighbors, a rock of offence. 
Jesus says, Blessed is he who is not offended in me; 
and of course only such are blessed. And now Bro. 
Henry, you say, let me ask you a few serious questions, 
touching the last two revivals, with which you were 
so well pleased. The affair of the prodigal's return, 
the joy of the aged father, and the music and dancing, 
were scarcely tolerable; but the most humiliating of 
all performances was the grand entry of Christ into 
Jerusalem — that capped the climax of all tom-foolery 
and enthusiasm. Why, sir, none but the common class 
of people were engaged in the performance. It would 
have been more creditable, too, if the members had 
passed round the hat, and bought the Savior a saddle, 
instead of having him ride on Peter's old fishing coat. 
And the sisters thought they were doing him great 
honor by spreading their mantles and shawls in the 
way! most of which were out of fashion. Truly, sir, 
it is no wonder our rulers were offended; and no doubt 
they felt they were doing God service in trying 
to check fanaticism; and never need you expect the 
wise and noble, the rich and prudent, to join the Church, 
as long as it is filled up with the filth and offscourings 
of creation. And Christ's treatment of the committee, 
and bankers, manifested anything but a meek and quiet 
spirit. Why sir, those gentlemen were not only the orna- 



140 More Resolutions. 

ments, but the main pillars in the Church. True, they 
did not attend prayer and class meetings, and such small 
affairs; but when the weather would allow, and on all 
festive occasions, they were on hand with their families, 
all adorned with splendor and in the fashion. Mr. 
Mammon, the President, and Mr. Shave, the Cashier of 
the bank, carried on their persons the marks of the 
Savior's scourge for several days. And then his declara- 
tion that he was owner of the temple ! and his charging the 
official board of making it a den of thieves ! and to perfect 
his arrogant claims, stated his determination to stick 
to the platform while on stone rested on another, that 
it was his intention to break up our Church and des- 
troy our place and nation, declaring himself the right- 
ful heir, and calling us mere squatters — the children 
of the Devil. 

At this crisis Caiphas called the council together; 
and after stating the object of the meeting, and naming 
a long list of grievances, it was unanimously resolved 
that patience would no longer be a virtue, and that all 
possible means be used to put down the work. This 
only added fuel to the flame. It was resolved, further, 
that the utmost effort be put forth to remove the cause, 
and spike the offender to the cross. A committee was 
then appointed to confer with one of the disciples, named 
Judas, whose besetment was love of money, and who 
was believed to be backslidden, if he had ever enjoyed 
religion at all; he was on this account considered a fit 
person to make a traitor, who would not hesitate to sell 
his Lord for thirty pieces of silver, the ordinary price 
of a slave. 

Soon they had the Savior before a bench of judges, 
the parents of our present rum and slavery judiciaries; 
and they condemned him on the charge of blasphemy, 
because he declared himself the Son of God, and that 



Savior Tried. 141 

they should yet see him standing at the right hand of 
God, coming in clouds of heaven, with power and 
glory to judge the world. And it is always high pro- 
fession in connection with holy living that kindles the 
fires of martyrdom. Profession and practice are as 
necessary to full salvation as the Divinity and humanity 
of Jesus. But we must pass over the mock trial, the 
dreadful scourging, the crown of thorns, and the cruel 
smitings, and other indignities inflicted upon him in the 
temple ; also those that wagged their heads and mocked 
him while groaning on the tree, and while his breast 
was bared to all the lancets and javelins of earth and 
hell; and the dying scene, when he cried with aloud 
voice, dropped his head and gave up the ghost, and was 
deposited in the sepulchre. 

Death had invited a thousand worms to luxuriate 
with him on the Lamb of God. The king of terrors 
whet up his carver, intoxicated with the joy of victory. 
But like an ancient king his knees began to smite to- 
gether; he drops his carving knife; and his invited 
guests draw back and turn pale. What sudden terror 
has possessed them? On the walls of the new tomb, 
it is written in letters of living light, his flesh shall not 
see corruption. Meanwhile there was a louder shout 
of exultation in Jersualem than was ever heard before 
— that quite exceeded the shouts of the Philistines when 
they captured the ark. Ah! it fell on the ears of the 
disciples as harshly as thunder of the cannon of the 
the sons of Bacchus in the ears of drunkard's wives and 
children, and the friends of the temperance reform. The 
Devil once sent a regiment of emissaries on a campaign 
of fifty years; and at the end of that period he called 
them back to Pandemonium to report. One after 
another arose and addressed his Satanic majesty, and 
told of their sinking ships and their crews, and setting 



142 Soldiers at the Tomb. — Tidings of Joy. 

villages on fire, but it did not get up any very loud 
shouting. At last one arose, and said that for the last 
twenty years he had been trying to tempt an old saint 
to commit adultery, and last night he had succeeded; 
and all hell rung with malignant shouts — a sound not 
unlike the shouts of the bloody victors of the Lamb of 
God. But glory to God! it is written, the triumph of 
the wicked shall be short. Ah ! say they, we always told 
you he was an impostor, and now we have put an end to 
this troubler of Israel ; we have spiked his artillery, and 
quenched the wild-fire of his deluded followers. No 
committee was appointed to stop their noise. The 
world always has the privilege of celebrating its 
victories in its own way; but they are not willing to 
do as they would be done by. 

But we see a division of steel-clad warriors marching 
to the tomb of Jesus, to watch over it; the Pharisees 
were afraid of him while living, and, cowardly fellows 
that they are, they fear him now that he is dead. We 
look again, and the band of soldiers lay like dead men 
around the sepulchre; as have thousands of sinners in 
later times under the preaching of Abbott and others. 
All have fallen under the power of God. None will say 
these poor soldiers were hypocrites, although they were 
doing the Devil's dirty work. "While they lay under 
Divine influence, the Savior rose, breaking the bands 
of death. Soon the soldiers recovered themselves, to 
find their charge gone; and soon they were before the 
council receiving a bribe to say, the disciples came by 
night while we slept and stole him away; and they were 
assured that if the matter came to the Governor's ears, 
they would secure their safety. Alas! what will not 
money do. Everything but buying a seat in heaven. 

What now! Two Galilean sisters seem to be running 
a race. Filled with joy, they were carrying to the sad 



Ascension. 143 

and disheartened brethren the news that Jesus had risen, 
and had given directions for them to meet him on one 
of the mountains of Palestine. The tidings soon reached 
the ears of the Jerusalem shouters, and put out their 
fires at once; meanwhile a sacred flame was kindled in 
the hearts of the disciples, which never could be extin- 
guished. It was unspeakable joy; and this joy, says 
Jesus, no man taketh from you. 

After forty days, more than five hundred of those 
who had followed Christ, went out with him as far as 
Bethany, to witness a balloon ascension; a balloon not 
inflated with the gas of this world, but with the glory of 
heaven. As he stood amid the happy group, he raised 
his pierced hands to pronounce his last benediction. 
The same convoy of bright angels that announced his 
advent and celebrated it with songs, now, though unseen 
by mortals, were gathered around him. Oh, what a 
glorious scene our faith discovers! An ascending 
Savior, brilliant as the rising sun, and a countless 
throng of celestials glittering like stars! Angels shout 
hosanna to his grand entry into the New Jerusalem. 
Arriving at the emerald gates, they cry in full chorus, 
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lifted up ye 
everlasting doors, and let the king of glory come in, with 
his royal train. In they go, and heaven rings with the 
joyous celebration. 

Two angels linger behind the procession, to declare 
to the disciples that he should come again, in a manner 
similar to that in which they had seen him ascend. He 
will then descend with a shout, and the voice of the arch- 
angel, and the trump of God. But, you ask, how do you 
know he went up with a shout? David tells us so in 
Psalms forty-seventh and sixty-eighth. He calls upon 
all to shout and clap their hands for the reason that 
God, manifest in the flesh, had gone up with a shout. 



144 Ascension. 

Hallelujah! The victory turns on Israel's side. Jesus 
has the monster death tied to his chariot wheels. So 
severe was the shock as death fell under his victorious 
power, that many saints arose from their graves, and 
doubtless ascended with him, as a handful of the first 
fruits of the resurrection. And now we will return to 
Jerusalem with the joyful brethren and sisters, and 
retire with them to an upper room, there to wait until 
the Spirit descends; and as we go we will sing, 

Joyfully, joyfully, onward I move, 

Bound for the land of bright spirits above 

Angelic choristers sing as I come, 
"Joyfully haste to thy home." 
Soon, with my pilgrimage ended below, 
Home to the land of bright spirits I go; 

Pilgrim and stranger no more shall I roam — 

Joyfully, joyfully resting at home. 

Friends fondly cherish'd have passed on before; 
Waiting, they watch me approaching the shore; 

Singing, to cheer me thro' death's chilling gloom, 
"Joyfully, joyfully haste to thy home." 
Sounds of sweet melody fall on my ear; 
Harps of the blessed, your voices I hear! 

Rings with the harmony heaven's high dome- 
" Joyfully, joyfully haste to thy home." 

Death, with thy weapons of war lay me low; 
Strike, King of terrors — I fear not the blow; 

Jesus hath broken the bars of the tomb; 

Joyfully, joyfully will I go home. 
Bright will the mora of eternity dawn; 
Death shall be banished — his scepter be gone; 

Joyfully then shall I witness his doom — 

Joyfully, joyfully — safely at home. 



Orderly Prayer-Meeting. 145 



Chapter XXVIII. — Day of Pentecost. 

We see by the morning papers that this is to be another 
high day for Israel — the day of Pentecost. Reader, you 
were with us when the angel announced the infant 
Redeemer's advent into the world. What a stir it made 
at Jerusalem. To his friends who were watching his 
coming it was a morning of joy; but to Herod he was 
unwelcome. He began to feel the foundation of his 
throne crumbling and tottering. You were with us, 
too, when he so grandly entered Solomon's temple and 
cast out buyers and sellers. And you remember, that 
among his last words, he commanded the brethren to 
tarry at Jerusalem until they were endued with power 
from on high. Said he, John truly baptized with water, 
but ye should be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many 
days hence. This direction of the Savior's is the reason 
of the protracted prayer-meeting in which the one 
hundred and twenty participated. Thus far they have 
been orderly and quiet. No one has been offended or 
pleased with their performances. Their prayers rather 
dry and formal, like those of many of the present day, 
who have only been baptized with water. It is now 
eight o'clock in the morning, the Jewish second hour of 
the day. Breakfast being over, they as usual assemble 
for their morning union prayer-meeting. No one con- 
verted during all their meeting thus far. No peculiar 
exercises to offend any one. No one has fallen under 
the power. Not an amen above a whisper. Not a 
single shout or hallelujah. The conference is com- 
forted with assurance that their efforts in putting out 
the wild-fire have been successful, and that in the future 
all things pertaining to religion will be decently and 



146 Fire! Fire! 

orderly done. Nazarenism is considered as ended 
forever. 

But even while the conference was thus exulting 
over their victory, the old town clock drew back its 
hammer; and the first blow laid all their vain glory 
in the dust. At that moment, the third hour of the 
day, a fire burst through the doors and windows of 
that upper room, which all the hydraulic rams and 
water engines the Devil could bring on the ground, 
were not able to quench; and although eighteen hun- 
dred years have rolled away, the old Jerusalem fire 
yet blazes. Neither has the edge of the old Jerusalem 
blade ever been turned, in the severest battles; and 
since that memorable morning it has never been returned 
to its scabbord. Amen! 

But what do we see now? Jerusalem is all alive 
Men, women and children turn away from their avo- 
cations, and run with all their might to the place where 
the prayer-meeting was held. Fire! Fire! all through 
the city; and sure enough it was no false alarm. There 
was an unearthly fire. Cloven tongues like fire hovered 
over the heads of all the members, just as the gentle 
dove lit on the Savior's head as he came out of the waters 
of Jordan. At the time this strange sight was seen, a 
sound was heard as of a mighty rushing wind, as if the 
air was agitated by the wings of ten thousand angels. 
The whole multitude stood mute with awe and wonder. 
But a few moments before they supposed the crazy set 
was put down, and that all their tantrums were at an 
end; but now the wild- fire breaks worse than ever. This 
was the worst of all scenes of confusion. As Moses' rod 
swallowed all the other rods, this scene caused all past 
scenes to be forgotten. 

Like all the young converts at the present day, the 
one hundred and twenty were filled with a mission- 



Working Converts. — -Divine Revival. 147 

ary spirit. Bold as lions, yet meek as lambs, they 
passed out among the crowd. And what do you think 
they were talking about? The fashions of the day? 
No, no. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost, 
and out of the abundance of their hearts, they spoke 
as the Spirit gave them utterance. How wonderful 
to see a sister of Galilee take one of the Parthian sisters 
by the hand, and speak to her in her own tongue. All 
the brethren and sisters seemed perfectly familiar with 
seventeen different languages. They were at that time 
dwelling at Jerusalem, Jews — devout men of every 
nation under heaven — providently assembled to see 
this grand opening of the last dispensation. Paul must 
have thought of this when he said to the Romans, Verily, 
their sound went unto all the earth, and their words 
to the end of the world. 

Here, reader, is a model revival of religion — one of 
God's own getting up. Mr. Wesley once remarked, 
that preaching, and praying, and testimony, that will 
not make men either mad or pleased, is good for nothing. 
On this occasion many were offended. They saw much 
that was above their comprehension, and which they 
could not reason away. But infidelity has a last resort, 
when its last fig leaf is torn away, namely scoffing 
Ah! they are drunk — filled with new wine. This is 
a kind of chloroform the Devil has ever held to the 
nose of his deluded followers, who sport with their 
deceivings, as raving maniacs dance to the music of their 
chains. 

Peter, the preacher in charge, having in his girdle 
the key by which he was to unlock the door for the 
Gospel to go into the Gentile world, now stood forth 
bold as a lion, and flatly denied the charge of their 
being under the influence of the wine or gin of this 
world, for they were all teetotalers. He then directs 



148 Preacher in Charge. 

their attention to a promise in Scripture, spoken by 
the prophet Joel. "And it shall come to pass in the 
last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon 
all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters shall proph- 
esy, and your young men shall see visions, and your 
old men shall dream dreams; and on my servants, and 
on my hand-maidens, I will pour out in those days of 
my Spirit, and they shall prophesy." Thank God! here 
is a license for female speaking. It was put in practice 
on that occasion. God grant that every sister may ever 
stand on this free platform, until Gabriel blows. But we 
must listen to the preacher. There is a vast multitude 
present to hear the first gospel sermon. We perceive he 
is determined to know nothing among them except Christ 
and him crucified. Not a word about philosophy, or the 
starry heavens ; but with his quiver full of barbed arrows 
and his Gospel bow well strung up, he sends the mis- 
siles among the scoffers and upon the Sanhedrim; he 
calls them murderers of the Prince of life; and tells 
them their guilty hands are unmasked; and he declares 
the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. He stood 
as a bold witness for the despised Jesus, declaring his 
greatness, his resurrection, ascension, and glory. Jesus 
was at the right hand of God; hence the draft of the 
brethren and sisters was honored — the windows were 
raised, and blessings poured out which there was not 
room enough to contain. The brethren had Gospel 
measure that day — pressed down, shaken together, and 
running over. The part that run over belonged to 
sinners. This was the noisy part of it — the bell ringing 
for the feast — the triumphant shout that called the crowd 
to hear the first Gospel sermon. 

By the time Peter's sermon closed, three thousand 
arrows had been sent, and were rankling and festering 
in the hearts of the King's enemies; and while writhing 



Effects. 149 

under the pangs of awakened conscience each one fell 
before the mourner's bench, and simultaneously cried, 
Men and brethren, what shall we do? Glory to God! 
this was a joyful sound. Three thousand converts 
praying all at once, drowning the preacher's voice with 
their loud cries. O! what an exciting time. The 
mourners never were excited so before, and the brethren 
and sisters were no less excited. Tears and groans, 
prayers, and songs, amens and halleluiahs, were com- 
mingled as in the confusion of battle and victory. Re- 
pent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of 
Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall 
receive the Holy Ghost — such were the words which 
Peter thundered in their hearing. They received the 
word gladly and belie vingly, and were translated from 
darkness into a most marvelous light. Pardon was 
written on their hearts ; praise was put upon their lips ; 
and all spoke the language of Canaan. Of all the scenes we 
have beheld since we passed out of the gates of Eden, 
this is the most marvelous. How simple does faith 
appear, and how powerful, to convert groans into praises, 
and penitential pleadings into deafening halleluiahs 
How benevolent now are these new converts. Their 
pocketbooks have been converted as well as their souls. 
They are loving their neighbors as themselves. No 
unfortunate brother or sister is handed over to the 
poor-master. They went from house to house, breaking 
bread with singleness of heart and gladness, and as they 
went their tongues were eloquent with praises and 
prayers. Thus this mighty shower was turned into a 
settled rain, and converts were born of the Spirit every 
day, and added to the Church. 

The net was cast down on the right side of the ship 
to-day. We thought it a noisy time when Ezra laid the 
foundation of the second temple, and the mingled noise 



150 Spiritual Temple. 

of weeping and shouting was heard afar off. The rocks 
and hills of Palestine echoed and re-echoed with the 
sound. But this day we have seen the foundation of a 
spiritual temple laid, whose goodly stones are not gran- 
ite or marble, but the souls of the redeemed. The 
daughters, it is said, shall be polished stones — like 
Dorcas, Mary, Lydia, Chloe, Priscilla, and many others, 
who have been cup-bearers of the King of kings. We 
will therefore take the liberty to shout and sing hosanna 
at the laying of the foundation of this most glorious 
of all temples, and ask no man's pardon. Amen. 



Chapter XXIX. — Young Converts. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within 
me bless his holy name. This was the language of 
David, and we feel like adopting it this morning, as 
our enraptured vision beholds some of the precious 
fruits of yesterday's revival. It was a coronation day 
for Jerusalem sinners. Long and earnestly, dear 
reader, have we prayed for you since we left Eden 
together. Surely you have had a sorrowful time, as 
did the elder brother of the prodigal son, while all 
around you were feasting with Jesus and drinking 
wine. You have worn a face as long as the moral 
law. You had so much to do in steadying the ark, 
and quenching what you call wild-fire, that you have 
not had time for self-examination ; and we have observed 
that when you pray, all you say is to thank God that 
you are not as some other men, or as the publican smiting 
on his breast, and with his face to the earth, as if he 
were licking the dust of repentance. But glory to God! 
we saw you fall in battle yesterday, As the son of 



Exhortation. 151 

thunder stood upon the wall, and with his little sanctified 
army, gave you a few broad-sides of grape-shot, aiming 
directly at the hearts of the king's enemies, O how re- 
joiced were we to see your honor, dignity, self-righteous- 
ness, roll together in the dust. O how hard it was for 
the royal family, so ancient and noble, to give up the 
ghost. Self -righteousness was the last to give up his 
hold. But the arrow was driven to the feather, and all 
had to submit. 

You were not, perhaps, aware that your friends were 
mortified with your screaming and groaning, and perhaps 
you forget how much you used to oppose such things. 
Suppose now you stand up here and give us a little of 
your experience. You. must remember it is written that 
ye should receive power after the Holy Ghost comes 
upon you, and that you must be witnesses for Jesus in 
Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, and in the uttermost 
parts of the earth. The Bishop may yet send you to 
Birmah, or Africa, as a witness to them. So now stand 
up here on the platform and tell your story. 

Well, Bro. Henry, I thank God that in his provi- 
dence it was my lot to go on a pilgrimage with you; 
but it was not until yesterday that I saw the reason 
why we differed so widely on the subject of Christian 
peculiarities. Both of us professors of religion; but 
what was meat to you, was poison to me. Outward 
demonstrations that would try me sorely, and knit my 
brows, would make you almost frantic with joy. I 
verily thought I was doing God's service while laying 
hands on everything that did not exactly correspond, 
in length and breadth, with my iron bedstead. The 
only reason I could assign for this course was, that I 
was never the subject of such groamngs, tears, and 
raptures. But yesterday, glory to God ! when I saw 
the tongues of fire, and heard the mighty rushing wind, 



152 Relates his Experience. 

— when I saw the shining faces of the happy group at 
the prayer meeting, and heard the songs and shoutings 
and their clear burning testimony, as they passed through 
the crowd, exhorting all to come to Christ, — and heard 
the sermon of the preacher, which presented before my 
eyes the crucified Prince of life, and charged me with the 
guilt of his death, — when I heard all this, I had business 
enough of my own, to attend to my wicked heart. As 
fig-leaf after fig-leaf was torn away, I saw my inward 
corruption, and was convinced that the prophet was not 
extravagant, when he said the hearts of sinners were as a 
cage of unclean birds — a den of hissing vipers. Oh! 
how the heavens darkened over my guilty head. As the 
lightning flashed out its forked tongues from Sinai, as if 
forging thunderbolts to dash a murderous rebel to perdi- 
tion, it seemed as if the earth was about to open and 
swallow me alive, as it did the wicked company of Korah. 
I saw myself justly condemned, and cried out as one 
in the belly of hell, What shall I do to be saved? If 
there had been present ten thousand devils, with their 
harpoons, or all the nobility of earth to turn up the 
lip of scorn, it would not have stopped my groanings 
and cries; I should have prayed on until the Spirit 
had raised a standard in the gloom — the bloody robe 
of Jesus, on which was a single star; and until the voice 
was heard in my ear, Be of good cheer, thy sins are all 
forgiven thee. O what a moment of sweet peace! My 
groanings were changed to halleluiahs — my garment 
of heaviness into a garment of praise. 

My dungeon shook, 
My chains fell off ; 

Glory to God! I cried. 
My soul was full; 
I cried enough; 

For me the Savior died. 



Power of Salvation. 153 

As I spread my wings of joy and love, I left my old 
broken shell of self-righteousness and Pharisaism behind 
me. And now, 

They say I am too noisy — 

I know the reason why; 
And if they felt the glory, 

They'd shout as loud as I. 

But we see Peter and John coming again in the temple. 
The Bishop has sent the disciples out two by two on the 
circuit. It happened as they were about entering the 
eastern gate, they beheld a poor cripple, lame from the 
womb, who presented his old hat for alms as they ap- 
proached him; they ransacked their pockets but could 
find nothing, for they had gone forth without purse or 
script, and were as poor as the beggar himself; but, says 
Peter, we will give you the best we have, rejoicing that 
they had a subject on which to manifest the power of the 
great salvation; and he took him by the hand and said, 
In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk. Reader, 
you would be astonished to see how salvation, like the 
sap in the tree, began in his head, and ran down into his 
ankle joints. In a moment he leaped as a roe-buck. 

All the people saw him walking and leaping, and 
praising God. And they knew it was the person who 
sat at the gate; and were filled with amazement at 
the salvation which could run down into the ankle 
joints of the lame professors of religion. O! how often 
have we prayed, as we have heard ministers and class- 
leaders urging professors to get up and tell of Jesus, 
that God would strengthen ankle joints. It is said 
that one of the old pioneer Methodists was traveling 
in the western wilds. He called at a cabin, and re- 
quested the woman of the house to provide him some 
refreshments, and introduced himself as a Methodist 



154 Overdoing the Thing. 

preacher. The lady said she would grant his request, 
provided he would pray before he left that God 
would give rain; for, says she, our fields and gardens 
are burning up for the want of it, and if you are a man of 
God, she continued, your prayers will be answered. 
After dinner, the preacher knelt at the throne of grace, 
and sent up a petition to Him — who maketh the clouds 
his reservoirs; and, whether in answer to the prayer or 
otherwise, along came the clouds and poured out their 
treasures on the thirsty soil. So copious was the shower 
that it took the good woman's garden sauce, root and 
branch, and swept it into the river. Just like the tarnal 
Methodists, says the matron, they always overdo the 
thing. So with the young convert. Peter told him 
to arise and walk, but he jumped clear over the preacher's 
chalk marks, and leaped and praised God amid the crowd, 
indifferent to the tender corns of the Pharisees, and 
elders of the people. The salvation was so powerful 
that it took away, root and branch, a man-fearing and 
pleasing spirit, just as the deluge the kind matron's 
vines, and carried them to the Dismal swamp. God 
grant they may be buried there without the promise 
of a resurrection. Amen! Amen! 

It is now time that we leave the apostles, and strike out 
in a different region. But the Apostle Paul holds us by 
the button, and claims a page or two for his experience. 

Once, says he, I was a blasphemer, a poor miserable 
persecutor of the saints, and so filled with self-right- 
eousnesness and worldly wisdom, that there was no room 
for the wisdom that cometh from above. Like your 
friend that was converted yesterday, I was exceedingly 
mad at those whom I deemed fanatics and fools. Alas! 
how many prayer-meetings did I break up. I drove 
the saints into the darkness of the night, and unto 
solitary caves, to find opportunity to worship. And 



Paul's Experience. 155 

yet they were happy. Like a fool, I undertook to put 
salvation to jail. But all was like casting pure oil in the 
flame. While I and my wicked coadjutors persecuted 
one pound, Jesus was sure to bless two pounds. And it 
occurred, as I started with my posse from conference, 
with my pocket-book crowded with warrants for the 
arrest of the fanatics of Damascus, breathing vengeance 
and slaughter, the Lion of the tribe of Judah crossed 
my path. A light, above the brightness of the sun, 
shone around me, and I fell to the ground under its 
power, and all my constables fell as if shot. A voice 
then fell on my ear, saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest 
thou me? Hold a moment modern scoffer! The same 
voice sounds in your ears, Why persecutest thou me? 
But, says Paul, far be it from me now to persecute 
Christ in the persons of his followers — of his royal tribe 
— of the least of his disciples. And ye who deny and 
ridicule the falling of God's people under the powers of 
God, calling it weakness, nervousness, charging it to the 
flesh, thus robbing Christ of his glory, — better steal your 
neighbor's sheep, and run the risk of heaven, unwashed 
of your guilt, than with the guilt of such meanness. The 
day of judgment will thunder this truth home to your 
souls. It was this kind of business that made the 
apostle style himself the chief of sinners. Compared 
to this, other sins were as motes to a mill-stone. The 
only hope of the apostle was that he did it ignorantly; 
blinded by prejudice and self-righteousness, he verily 
thought himself doing God's service. 

But behold he prayeth. The proud Pharisee has 
become an humble beggar, crying for salvation. He 
was directed, not to Caiphas, the chairman of the con- 
ference at Jerusalem, but to an old class -leader, a tanner 
by trade who laid hands upon him, and prayed with 
him. The scales fell from his eyes, the light burst in 



156 Paul's Experience. 

upon his soul, and he began to bind up the wounds 
made by his own wicked hands. Your author knows 
how he felt as the boy led him around from place to 
place, while the arrows of conviction were piercing his 
breast. Although our natural vision has not been 
restored, yet the Divine light that shone in Paul's soul 
has sanctified the use of the mind, and filled our whole 
soul with the light of life. Hallelujah to the Lamb ! 



Chapter XXX. — The Wine of the Kingdom. 

Dear brother, until recently we have called you 
reader; but since you were connected, and adopted 
into the family of God, and your name written in the 
Lamb's book of life — the old family record — we hail 
you as a brother; and not only as a brother, but as an 
heir of God and joint heir with Jesus Christ. But he 
that sanctifieth, and those who are sanctified, are one, 
for which cause Christ is not ashamed to call them 
brethren; not even the illiterate fisherman, nor Mary 
Magdalene. Impure as she had been, when washed 
in the Gospel laver, he was not ashamed to introduce 
her to the Father, and the holy angels, as his sister. 

Let me tell you, young brother, that among the first 
lessons in the school of Christ, is the hailing every 
person who bears the Divine image, as brother or sister. 
You will find this a cross, and, unless you watch and 
pray without ceasing, your cheeks will often flush 
with shame. Many there are, who will brother and 
sister you at the prayer or camp meeting, who would 
blush to do it before a proud world; especially if you 
were one of the Lord's poor, with patches on your 
knees, and with a threadbare coat on your back. 



"We be Brethren." — Effects of Drinking. 157 

Remember, too, if you continue to drink as freely 
of the wine of the kingdom as you have done since 
your conversion, you will have a first rate chance to 
lose your reputation. The wise and prudent of this 
world will be very apt to look upon you with scorn. 
Jesus made himself of no reputation, and never did one 
of his followers tread in his foot prints, and set his face 
against all popular sins, in and out of the Church, with- 
out doing the same; their reputation goes by the board, 
and they are cast out as fanatics. And, if you are pas- 
sive in the hands of God, as the sails of a ship, or the 
waving branches of a tree in the wind, the Spirit will 
often make every fibre of the soul vibrate, as the strings 
of an instrument swept by the hands of a skillful player, 
and, perhaps, a spiritual gale will make your top-sail 
kiss the ocean, or the tall tree lie prostrate on the earth. 
To be passive, is to have no will of your own; none even 
respecting your peculiar exercises — no more than the 
fluttering leaf, or the well filled sail. 

When we hear brethren and sisters praying, or desir- 
ing that they may fall under the power, shout, laugh, or 
scream, it is evidence to us of the will's insubordination; 
and equally so, when they wish to be excused from all 
these peculiar demonstrations, so mortifying to human 
pride. They cannot say from their hearts, Thy will 
be done. Perhaps we have fallen more than one hundred 
times, under the sweeping power of God, but have never 
asked God to make his power manifest in this manner. 
It has pleased the Spirit to use us thus, and generally, 
we have said, Amen ! The Spirit is very easily grieved, 
and we remember with sorrow, the few times we lifted 
up our finger of rebellion. We have rebelled a little, 
when we thought the occasion was not adapted to such 
demonstrations, or, when some presiding Elder, or 
some other tall cedar was present, who ridiculed such 



158 Critical Spot. 

things. At such times the gentle dove has spread 
her wings and flown away. And we were not permitted 
to return to our Father's table, until our hands were 
washed from guilt — not till then, could we appropriate 
a single promise, and fill the ebbing tide of peace and 

j°y- 

You will find, young brother, as you advance in the 
way of holiness, that this will be one of your critical 
places. If you take the old line, you will sometimes 
be so placed, that you must displease God or men — 
perhaps your pastor whom you love, and your class- 
mates; and, if ever you need the wisdom that cometh 
from above, it is at such a time as this; when all earthly 
lovers are laid on the sacrificial altar, and we see them 
bleed, and gasp, and die. Thus must we do if we would 
have God rejoice over us, as a bridegroom rejoiceth over 
his youthful bride. Who would not forsake all, for the 
sake of Christ's love? Halleluiah! 

You have often heard us talk of the effects of the 
wine of the kingdom, upon those who imbibe it freely. 
Wine is the symbol of the Holy Ghost. On account of 
its effervescence — its life and power — it is put in new 
bottles. An old leather Pharisee would explode in five 
minutes, if filled with it. To explain the matter more 
fully, we quote a chapter from our Life. 

"In the fall of 1848, Rev. Jesse Penfield being about 
to close up his labours on this circuit, God put it into his 
heart to raise a Methodist chapel in Frankfort. To all 
appearance this might have staggered the faith of 
Abraham; but with God, impossible things become 
possible. The attempt was made, and in February, 
1849, a beautiful brick church was dedicated to Almighty 
God, by Rev. B. J. Diefendorf, then presiding elder on 
that district. A protracted meeting was then commencd 
in the Baptist and Methodist Churches. The battle now 



Chapter on Wine. 159 

began in good earnest; the powers of darkness gave way, 
and a glorious revival followed in both Churches. Frank- 
fort in a measure, seemed redeemed. how good it is 
to hold on to the arm of the Lord, and wait patiently 
for him! The blind man's cottage could not now hold a 
tenth part of the lover's of prayer meetings, where, for 
six years previous, they would not average ten persons, 
including all denominations. I was deprived of hearing 
the dedication sermon, as duty and affection, kept me 
by the bed-side of my suffering companion; but in 
the evening, I had the happiness of listening to brother 
Wyatt. 

His subject was the great feast, which God had pre- 
pared for the souls of them that love him. I will assure 
you I opened my mouth wide, as the Lord had com- 
manded me, and my soul partook heartily of the 
solids, as well as the fluids, that faith saw plainly spread 
out before me — not only fat things full of marrow, but 
wine as pure and effervescent as that drawn from the 
water-pots at the wedding in Galilee. As I arose, after 
the sermon, to express my gratitude to God, for what he 
had done, and what he was about to do, for sinners in 
Frankfort, I took so large a draught of this wine, that I 
reeled and fell under its power ; and I have scarcely drawn 
a sober breath since. It was the same kind of wine, that 
the disciples drank, on the day of Pentecost, when they 
were accused by the multitude of being drunk. Wine, 
here, is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, and any man 
that has ever been intoxicated by the madeira and 
champagne of this world, and also that of the kingdom 
of grace, will see a forcible and striking similitude 
between them. It is with shame that I confess that I 
have more than once been staggering drunk on the wine 
of this world. But I rejoice to say that I have since 
, that time drank to intoxication of that which flows 



160 Life of the Author. 

from Christ, the living vine. Therefore, I speak what 
I know by experience. But let us trace the analogy; 
and, to make it plainer, permit me to relate one or two 
circumstances of my shameful experience, while dwelling 
in the land of Egypt. When I was engaged in business 
at the South, and especially on the Alleghany Mountains, 
it was a custom for the lawyers, doctors, engineers, and 
contractors, and a like quality, falsely called gentlemen, 
to have occasionally, a venison dinner, with sumptuous 
trimmings and sparkling wines. You see now, at two 
o'clock, twenty fashionable well-dressed men, who, from 
their conversation and general deportment, give every 
appearance of gentlemen, in the true sense of the word. 
We will now close the door upon them, and at six o'clock 
we again look into the dining-room. They are all there ; 
but their order and decorum has stepped out, and 
confusion reigns among them. One man is standing on 
the table spouting Shakspeare; another is bragging of 
his wealth, and ostentatiously displaying his bonds and 
bank notes ; another is boasting of his pedigree, his noble 
ancestry. One man is swearing profanely; another 
laughing, ready to split his sides at every silly remark he 
hears. By his side, his fellow is crying, and no one knows 
or cares about the cause. One of the number is dancing 
as merrily as a lord; while at his feet lies one as 
insensible as a mummy. 

You wonder, as you glance at these men, in the 
midst of broken glasses and upset tables, and ask the 
host the cause of this great change wrought in them, 
in the short space of four hours. He will tell you that 
they were under the influence of wine, that is, they were 
filled with the spirit of the wine. You will ask him 
a gain, the occasion of the different conduct exhibited 
in different individuals. He will, perhaps, tell you that 
the wine effects all people equally, but no two alike; and, 



Life of the Author. 161 

that the outward demonstration is varied, according 
to the natural bent, and disposition of the partaker. 

Reader, please take my arm, and go with me to an 
ancient house in Jerusalem. See there, in an upper 
chamber, one hundred and twenty disciples, all very 
grave and sober men and women. Twelve of them 
are the chosen apostles of Jesus. Among the sisters, 
is Mary, the mother of the Savior. They are quietly 
praying and conversing together. We will close the 
door, and after three hours, or, about the ninth hour, 
we will look in again, upon the same individuals. How 
are they now? Are all sitting quietly on their seats? 
O, no! there was a noise, and that so great, so loud and 
strange, that it was heard throughout the city — so that a 
great multitude of the curious gathered about the doors, 
as they have often done on similar occasions. You hear 
now, not only one individual, but the whole congregation, 
audibly and earnestly talking at once, and in fourteen 
different languages, and the sacred historian tells us, 
that they were all talking of the wonderful works of 
God, and that they were all filled with the Holy Ghost; 
or, he might have said, they were filled with the wine 
of the kingdom. As it was, the scoffing multitude came 
to the conclusion that they were all drunk. And when 
we turn to the history of the last century, and read of 
the multitudes that shouted, reeled, staggered and fell 
to the ground as dead men, under the preaching of 
a Wesley, Fletcher, Whitefield, Christmas Evans, Abbott, 
and others, and add to that our own experience and 
observation for the last ten years, at camp-meetings 
and other places, we know of no better conclusion, that 
a sober and dispassionate, unconverted multitude could 
arrive at, than to say they were all drunk; for I do know 
by observation and experience, that the outward mani- 
festations of the two kinds of wine bear a striking 



162 Life of the Author. 

analogy ; and I do not wonder that the prophets and the 
apostles made choice of wine, as a symbol or comparison 
to illustrate the operations of the Holy Spirit. But 
Peter, standing up, denies the charge of their being 
drunk, and then goes on to explain to the multitude the 
cause of the noise and seeming confusion. He might 
have said, it was estimate-day or pay-day; that Jehovah 
had just cashed a bond, which he had caused to be 
executed a few hundred years previous to Jeremiah, one 
of his clerk's; or, in the language of the Scripture, "I will 
pour out my Spirit," or wine "upon my servants and 
handmaids, and they shall prophesy"; or, in other 
words, that was the set day when more than three 
thousand new bottles or souls should be filled with new 
wine, or the champagne of the kingdom. 

So, my dear long-faced, sober-sided, fault-finding 
reader, when you go to another camp-meeting, where 
five hundred of God's people have met together with 
one accord in one place, and you see them all upon 
their knees, calling upon their heavenly Host, that 
they may be filled with the Spirit, do not be surprised if, 
after a while, you see brother Henry leaping, laughings 
and falling down; another shouting; the third pointing 
to his bonds and mortgages in the old record, and telling 
how rich he is ; while near-by a hoary-headed old father, 
with patches on his knees, boasts of his pedigree, tracing 
his ancestry back to the Ancient of Days, producing his 
evidence that God was his father, and Jesus Christ his 
eldest brother. At a little distance you will see a good 
sister melted into tears, while a holy, reverential awe 
broods over her in silence; by her side lies one insensible, 
while the whole five hundred rejoice together in hopes 
of the glory of God. You now turn and ask me the 
the cause of all these exhibitions of joy? Permit me 



Life of the Author. 163 

to answer you, in the language of your bar-room host : 
"They are all filled with the Spirit." 

I should be glad if I had space to make a few selections, 
backing up this truth, not only from sacred history, but 
also from the history of the Church, during modern 
reformations. But I must pass them by, and conclude 
this too lengthy chapter by giving you two recipes — one 
that will effectually cure you of fault-finding, and the 
other to cure the people of God from shouting. They 
are a sovereign remedy. Perhaps a little incident in 
my own experience may better convey my meaning. 
About the year 1836, while living in Franklin County, 
Pa., business placed me in a stage coach to go to Harris- 
burg, a distance of about forty miles. About twelve 
o'clock at night, the driver stopped at a hotel in the 
village of Carlisle, a few rods from Dickinson College. 
While changing horses I roused from a stupor, and, half 
awake, and not very good natured, went into the bar- 
room, where at once my ears were saluted with shouts, 
songs, speechifying, loud laughter, and not a little 
systematical swearing. The noise proceeded from a 
large parlor in a distant part of the hotel. I well under- 
stood the cause. I suppose it was something like the 
noise that Moses and Joshua heard, as they came down 
from the mountain, from a certain party dancing and 
shouting around a golden calf. But I had not been there 
long before the parlor door opened, and it was no sooner 
known by the revellers that Captain Henry was in the 
house, than a fragment of the party caught me by the 
collar, and, in spite of all expostulations, precipitated 
me into the midst of a party of drunken collegiates, and 
other like companions. Under those circumstances, I 
presume I felt very much like an unconverted man, 
looking on, while the power of God is displayed like a 



164 Life op the Author. 

tornado in the forest, waving one tree top into the arms 
of another, and occasionally tearing up a stately oak by 
the roots, bringing it headlong to the ground. They 
appeared to me like a set of fools. Their general con- 
versation and performance seemed ridiculous in the 
extreme. The stage now went off without me. I began 
to pour down the wine, and in half an hour I could laugh 
and make speeches with the best of them. I saw no 
impropriety in anything that was going on. Here, 
reader, is your recipe. When you get tired of hearing 
your brethren shout, harken to the invitation of the 
prophet, to come and buy this wine, and let your soul 
delight itself with this delicious influences. Let your 
soul be filled to the brim with this pure wine of the 
kingdom; and, if it does not cure your croaking and 
fault-finding about the brethren and sisters shouting, 
and making such a noise and confusion, you may set 
it down for a certainty, that you have not a genuine 
article. The second recipe is an effectual cure for 
shouting, leaping, falling with the power, etc. Take a 
quantity of back-biting, croaking, idle words, superflu- 
ity of dress, anger, self -righteousness, mix them well 
together in a powder, and wash it down with a hearty 
draught of rum, brandy, or whiskey, and, my word for 
it, you will not be troubled with spiritual ecstasy. But, 
before I close this subject, I wish to say I can tell the 
reader by experience — by sad as well as joyous ex- 
perience — that the consequences resulting from the use 
of the two articles, are as unlike as heaven and hell. 

The wine of this world leaves a man with a headache, 
heartache, remorse and rags, and the finger of God hath 
written, "No drunkard shall inherit the kingdom of 
God. ' ' Consequently , the undying soul will dwell forever 
in eternal darkness, with distillers, rumsellers, hypo- 
crites, dogs and sorcerers, and every species of evil-doers. 



Good Morning, Brother Pilgrim. 165 

While the wine that flows freely from Christ, the living 
vine, will give peace like a river, and the ultimate boon 
will be glory, honor, immortality and eternal life through 
Jesus Christ our Lord. One will procure for you the 
torments of hell, the other the rest of heaven. Reader, 
the two cups are before you. May God help you to 
make a wise choice. Amen. 

"GOOD MORNING, BROTHER PILGRIM!" 

The following is the substance of conversation between two 
professors as they met — one going to, the other returning from, 
camp-meeting, early in the morning: 

"Good morning, brother pilgrim! 

What, marching to Zion? 
"What doubts and what dangers have you met to-day? 

Have you found a blessing? 

Are your joys increasing? 
Press forward, my brother, and make no delay. 

Is your heart a glowing? 

Are your comforts flowing? 
And have you an evidence now bright and clear? 

Have you a desire 

That burns like a fire? 
And have hope in the hour when Christ shall appear?" 

"I came out this morning 

And now am returning, 
Perhaps little better than when I first came; 

Such groaning and shouting, 

It sets me to doubting, 
I fear such religion is all like a dream. 

The preachers were stamping, 

The people were jumping, 
And screaming so loud that I neither could hear 

Either praying or preaching; 

Such horrible screeching, 
'T was truly offensive to all that were there." 

"Perhaps my dear brother, 

While they pray'd together, 
You sat and consider'd, and pray'd not at all; 

Would you find a blessing? 

Then pray without ceasing, 
Obey the advice which was given by Paul. 



i66 Good Morning, Brother Pilgrim. 

For if you should reason 

At any such season, 
No wonder if Satan should tell in your ear; 
'The preachers and people 

Are all but a rabble, 
And this is no place for reflection and prayer.'" 

"'iVo place for reflection!' 

I'm fill'd with distraction, 
I wonder the people could bear for to stay; 

The men were all bawling, 

The women were squalling, 
I wonder, for my part, how any could pray. 

Such horrid confusion, 

If this be religion, 
Sure it is something new that has never been seen: 

For the sacred pages 

That speak of all ages, 
Do nowhere declare that such ever has been." 



"Don't be so soon shaken; 

If I'm not mistaken, 
Such things have been acted by Christians of old; 

When the ark it was coming, 

King David came running, 
And danced before it, in Scripture we're told. 

When the Jewish nation 

Had laid the foundation, 
And rebuilt the temple by Ezra's command, 

Some wept and some praised, 

Such a noise there was raised, 
'T was heard afar off, perhaps all through the land." 

"And as for the preacher, 

Ezekiel the teacher 
Was taught for to stamp, and smite with his hand; 

To show the transgression 

Of that wicked nation, 
And bid them repent and obey the command. 

For Scripture quotation 

In this dispensation, 
Our gracious Redeemer has handed them down; 

If some ceased from praising, 

We hear him proclaiming, 
The stones to reprove them would quickly cry out. 



Good Morning, Brother Pilgrim. 167 

"Then Scripture is wrested; 

For Paul has protested 
That order should be kept in the house of the Lord; 

Amidst such a clatter 

Who knows what's the matter? 
Or who can attend unto what is declared? 

To see them behaving 

Like drunkards or raving, 
And lying or rolling prostrate on the ground; 

I really felt awful, 

And sometimes was fearful 
That I'd be the next to come tumbling down." 

' ' You fear persecution 

And there's the delusion, 
Brought in by the devil to draw you away ; 

Be careful, my brother, 

For blest are none other 
But such as are never offended in me." 



Chapter XXXI. — Views of John Wesley. 

We are to leave prophets and apostles, and look for 
fruit on the boughs of the tree of life, the branches 
of which spread over the nations, as far as the Mis- 
sionary has gone with his torch-light. No fruit will 
be accepted in the golden city, but that which is en- 
grafted. The twelve apostles were first engrafted in the 
true olive; and they bare twelve manner of fruits, that 
is, their manner of preaching or delivery, the same truth 
was various. Peter could not preach like John, nor 
John like Paul. Each had his peculiar traits. Take 
twelve evangelical ministers of the present, and let them 
preach from the same text; no two of the sermons will 
be alike, though all should preach the pure Gospel. 
There is a diversity of gifts ; but the same Lord worketh 
in all. 



168 The Old Tree. 

A son of a kind father, left the parental roof, and 
removed to the west. Among the objects of his recol- 
lection about the old home, was an apple tree in the back 
yard, which bore only gnarly, sour fruit, scarcely fit for 
swine. After an absence of fifteen years, he returned, 
and to his astonishment, found that his father had sawed 
off all the natural branches, and engrafted twelve dif- 
ferent kinds of fruit. On one branch were hanging 
golden sweets, on another, the pippin, and on other 
branches the different varieties, making up the twelve. 
The tree could gratify all varieties of taste. And, as the 
stock of the tree was the channel through which life was 
diffused to every branch, bough, and leaf, the human 
nature of Jesus is the channel, by which Divinity sends 
life throughout our entire being, provided, we are en- 
grafted into him, and bring forth fruit unto holiness. 
The branch united to the true vine — its leaf never 
withers. 

Among the objects beheld by John, on the Isle of 
Patmos, was a pure river of life, proceeding from the 
throne of God, and the Lamb; in other words, a spiritual 
Christ. On both sides of the river, he saw the tree of 
life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit; the leaves of which 
were for the healing of the nations ; on one side of the 
tree were the twelve patriarchs, from whose loins sprung 
the whole Jewish Church; on the other side, the twelve 
apostles, from the loins of whose preaching, has sprung 
the Christian Church — a tree of life, the branches of 
which shall enlarge and spread until Jesus shall reign 
King of nations, as he now does King of saints. So that 
you see the patriarchs were as diversified in their manner 
of promulgating truth, as the apostles. Just here is the 
rock on which the church has split in all ages. One per- 
son insists that all spiritual demonstrations shall corre- 
spond to his views, and that those who differ, must be 



Tree of Life. — Dangerous Rock. 169 

stretched or shortened, so as to fit his iron bedstead. 
Isaiah might have no confidence in Jeremiah's religion, 
because he did not shout, and scatter the seraphim's 
fire from the old Gospel anvil; and Jeremiah might 
have no confidence in Isaiah, because he shed no tears, 
and did not groan under the burdens of the Lord. Moses 
might find fault with David, because he danced before 
the ark; and David with Moses, because he did not leap 
as a roe buck, at the smitten rock. But these diversities 
were pleasing to God, the Pharisaical reader, to the 
contrary notwithstanding, who growled at, and quarreled 
with us, concerning these peculiarities, all the way- 
through the Old Testament, down to the day of Pentecost, 
when he had power given him, to break the shell of 
prejudice that imprisoned him, and now he is as free 
as a pigeon in the blue sky, and can shout from the tops 
of the mountains, and nothing but sin can offend him. 

We now pass down through a long lane of darkness 
to the days of Wesley. Wesleyanism we may well call 
a branch of renown. We will now see whether the 
peculiarities and adversities of gift continue. If they are 
born of God, they will not change. We contend, that 
the day of Pentecost, was a model revival for all ages and 
denominations of the Church; and any departure from 
this model, is a removal of the old land marks. God 
commanded the prophet to rear an altar of huge rough 
stones, and forbade any man to apply a hammer or 
chisel, to knock off its rough corners; but many, for the 
last eighteen hundred years have been endeavoring to 
polish and refine revivals of religion, so as to make them 
attractive in the eyes of the fashionable world. A Pente- 
cost that would make Christians act like a rowdy mob, 
make them stagger and fall like drunken men, would be 
extremely offensive. While with one corner of his 
mouth, the Pharisee prays for a tongue of fire, with 



170 Wesley not Deified. 

the other, he blows out every flame the Holy Ghost 
kindles. While he prays that the spirit may come as 
a mighty rushing wind, he closes every door and window 
of the soul, for fear that some one would be blown over 
in the gale. 

It has been supposed that Rev. John Wesley was 
opposed to those so-called extravagant peculiarities 
which occurred in his day. What if he was? It does 
not amount to a buckwheat straw, if the Bible is against 
him. We stand upon the rock that men or devils 
cannot blow up. Were it otherwise, we would cast our 
manuscript to the flames, lay aside our old quill, and 
allow some Pharisee to apply the gag law; but, while 
prophets and apostles endorse our paper, we will present 
it at the counter of free grace. 

There are very few men, to whose doctrines we so 
fully subscribe as those of John Wesley; but we do 
not intend to deify his bones, nor those of any other 
man. There are some things in his writings, that we 
repudiate. In revising the history of our life, we found 
many things that were erroneous, and which we were 
glad to kick out of doors; especially were we glad to 
obliterate forever, the record of pro-slavery principles, 
and objections to professing the work of holiness, in 
plain Bible language. So, also, did John Wesley con- 
demn and repudiate in his lifetime, many of his own acts, 
as the pure light of experimental holiness increased 
within him. St. Paul said, when he was a child, he spake 
as a child, thought and understood as a child, but when 
he became a man , he put away childish things . Adam and 
Eve were perfect from the first, and we might naturally 
think, that St. Paul was also an adult Christian from his 
spiritual birth ; but he tells us otherwise. Both Paul and 
Wesley were like Lazarus, when brought out of the 
grave of moral death. Lazarus was brought from 



Misrepresented. — Change of Views. 171 

death to life at the first loud call of the Savior. But 
he came forth with the grave clothes on him, and bound 
with a napkin. Christ spoke the second time before 
he was free indeed. Wesley preached years, before he 
understood the new birth. He had, it is true, his Oxford 
sheep-skin, his silk gown, his long flowing periwig; but he 
was no more a child of God, by adoption, than Saul of 
Tarsus , when persecuting the saints . It would be strange 
therefore, if he did not bring out of his grave, more or 
less of his Church of England notions, so much like the 
strong cords and napkins that bound Lazarus. But 
God spoke the second time, made him entirely free, 
sanctified him wholly ; and for years before his death, was 
an uncompromising advocate of the second specific 
blessing. 

In a few chapters, we will consider the views of John 
Wesley, and let his own words refute our opponents. 



Chapter XXXII. — Fetter-lane Confession. 

In this chapter, we present an extract from Mr. 
Wesley's journal, which confirms the views expressed 
in the latter part of the foregoing chapter. 

"We met at Fetter-lane, to humble ourselves before 
God, and own he had justly withdrawn his Spirit from 
us, for our manifold unfaithfulness. We acknowledged 
our having grieved him by our divisions; 'one saying, 
I am of Paul; another, I am of Apollos:' by our leaning 
again to our own works, and trusting in them, instead 
of Christ; by our resting in those little beginnings of 
sanctification, which it had pleased him to work in our 
souls; and, above all, by blaspheming his work among 



172 Extract. — Prayer for Pharisees. 

us, imputing it either to nature, to the force of imagina- 
tion and animal spirits, or even to the delusion of the 
devil. In that hour, we found God with us as at the 
first. Some fell prostrate upon the ground. Others 
burst out, as with one consent, into loud praise and 
thanksgiving. And many openly testified, there had 
been no such day as this since January the first 
preceding." 

We believe, that if the spirit of John Wesley had 
hold of our pen, he would say harder things than we 
are capable of saying, respecting his earlier views. 
Here is a full and hearty confession ; just such an one 
as we might expect from one who sees his sins, and 
earnestly desires to be saved from them. Christian 
ministers and laymen, at the present day, may think 
they are doing God service while laying hands on 
peculiar spiritual manifestations, fettered as they are 
by worldly policy, and half blinded by prejudice. God 
grant that they may find a Fetter-lane, where they may 
get the napkin and grave clothes off, and Jesus Christ 
speak the second time, loose him and let him go. Amen ! 

Let us now listen to the confession. We met, says 
Wesley, at Fetter-lane to humble ourselves. Nothing 
but an honest confession would answer. But what 
was the matter with the dear man and his associates? 
God had left them. They had grieved the Spirit, and 
were as empty shells, or tinkling cymbals. All that 
was left, were the Oxford sheep-skin, periwig, and 
silk gown. They confess divisions. Satan here planted 
his cloven hoof down among them. Another sin was 
leaning to their works, and, trusting in them, instead 
of Christ. Spiritual pride, like proud flesh in a wound, 
will always keep a raw sore, until some caustic is applied, 
which will heal it up; then it may be mollified with 
ointment and healed. Application, after appreciation 



Vain Hopes. — Standing on the Threshold. 173 

of a hearty, repenting confession before God, upon 
their knees, is removing the proud flesh, and soon they 
will be made every whit whole. 

Another sin the Holy Ghost held up before them, 
like the hand writing on the wall. They had rested 
in the beginnings of sanctiflcation, instead of going 
on to perfection. They place themselves among babes 
in Christ. They knew not what it was to be sanctified 
wholly and preserved blameless. The apostle declares 
such to be unskillful in spiritual things, unable always 
to discern the good from the evil. Before their vision 
becomes unclouded, they must be able to digest the 
strong meat in the Gospel, and partake freely of the 
corn and the wine of the Kingdom, which puts the 
power of judging, the fight and shout, into a Christian. 

But the most grievous sin confessed, the Beelzebub 
of the whole, remains to be noticed. They blasphemed 
the work of God, imputing it to nature, the force of 
imagination, animal spirits, or even delusion of the 
Devil. Rev. John Wesley guilty of blasphemy! He 
says so himself, and we' do not feel at liberty to dispute 
him — we cannot believe him a hypocrite. But what 
constituted blasphemy? The very things the Pharisees 
did, in the days of Christ. They robbed God of his 
honor, Jesus Christ of his glory, and themselves and 
others, of the joys of pardon, holiness and heaven. They 
committed this robbery, when God's word was attributed 
to the impure and unrepudiated exhalations of man's 
nature, or to the wiles of the adversary. The Pharisees 
said Christ cast out devil's by Beelzebub, the prince of 
devil's ; and in effect so said Wesley and his compeers. 

But they confess, and God fulfills his promise. "If 
we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive 
us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 
The friends of Lazarus had to roll away the stone from 



174 Controversy with a D. D. 

the mouth of the sepulchre ; but it took Jesus to fire up 
his soul with new life. So Wesley and his coadjutors 
rolled away the stone, by hearty repentence, and Christ 
spoke the word that gave new life. Says Wesley, we 
found God with us at first. Some fell prostrate on the 
ground, others burst out with one consent in praise and 
thanksgiving, and many testified that no such time had 
been enjoyed since the first of January preceding. God 
grant that all opposers may come to some Fetter-lane, 
and be saved from their blasphemy, and experience a 
similar revival of the pure work of God — a whirlwind of 
the south, which shall thoroughly purge the threshing 
floor, and either sanctify the Rev. Dr. Uzzah, or send 
him to his own place. 

Not long since, we had a warm controversy with a 
minister of high standing in the Methodist Church, 
who imputed all outward demonstrations of the Spirit 
to the flesh. To use his own pure language, some 
brethren and sisters howl like wolves, and squeal like 
swine; which peculiarities he could not look upon, 
with any degree of allowance. He insisted that the 
Holy Ghost never placed a person in an attitude that 
was not genteel and respectable. Here is a chance 
for a difference of opinion. Is respectability to be 
measured in God's half-bushel, or that of a proud and 
fashionable world? St. Paul says, if we live after the 
flesh we shall die; if, therefore, the Dr. is correct these 
screamers and tumblers may know their awful end. 
But the apostle further says, that if through the Spirit 
we mortify the deeds of the flesh, we shall live. Now 
we have yet to learn that worldly gentility ever mortified 
a proud heart, or humbled proud looks and lofty imagi- 
nations. Nothing but some debasing providence, some 
sore and painful trial, will bend the knee of a proud 
heart, The intention of the Holy Spirit in producing 




TESTIMONY OF THE DINNER HORN, 



Blasphemy. — The Call. 175 

these peculiar exercises, which cause pouting lips among 
the Pharisees, is to mortify and bring low human pride. 
Let the world point the finger of derision, we will, breth- 
ren and sisters, take the bitter pill prescribed by our 
great family physician. It will do us good. It will 
thoroughly purge us, and fit us for God and his service. 
Another objection the Dr. made to screaming, is, 
that it is not Bible language, as glory, halleluiah, and 
that it is impossible to understand it. The Dr. it 
appears, cannot understand a sound, except words are 
articulated. The trumpet does not articulate, but 
gives a certain sound, and in obedience to its clear, 
shrill tones, the fiery, deadly onset is made. Let the 
Dr. go back to the old corn-field, where, when a lad 
of seventeen, he was hoeing a long row of corn, in dog 
days, hungry and faint; did he not understand the 
language of his mother's horn, as he listened to its wel- 
come toot, toot, toot, as well as if it had said, John, 
come to dinner? We imagine he did not complain that 
the noise was unintelligible, but dropped his hoe, and 
marched off in double quick time. As well might the 
country school-master, as he lets out his scholars, pre- 
scribe every tone and gesture, as for cold Pharisees to 
prescribe the manner in which the Spirit should manifest 
itself, in God's humble children. 



Chapter XXXIII. — Wesley's Views, Continued. 

In this chapter, we continue our extracts from the 
Journal of Mr. Wesley. He is now leaving the never 
to be forgotten prayer-meeting at Fetter-Lane; and 
now his course is like that of a comet, a stream of fire. 
We shall be brief in our comments, for the extracts 



176 Quotation. 

are alive and trumpet-tongued. The little army which 
he has gathered around him no longer blaspheme, but 
praise God by platoons. They are now in the land of 
Beulah — a hilly country to be sure, but with a deep, 
fertile soil — its valleys well adapted for raising corn, 
and its slopes and mountains for vineyards. In this 
country, the inhabitants speak a pure language. The 
Prince of the country is a free-soiler. Its inhabitants 
are always in the light, for the sun and moon never 
go down. It lies between Doubting Castle and the 
Celestial City. Pilgrims on the road to Zion's city 
never purchase anything at Vanity Fair; but as they 
pass along the road are heard singing: 

"While to the world I live unknown, 

I all their goods despise; 
I trample on their whole delight, 
And seek a city out of sight — 

A city in the skies." 

But we must proceed to the quotations. 

"I carefully examined those who had lately cried 
out in the congregation. Some of these, I found, could 
give no account at all, how or wherefore they had 
done so; only that of a sudden they dropped down, 
they knew not how; and what they afterward said or 
did, they knew not. Others could just remember, 
they were in fear; but could not tell what they were 
in fear of. Several said, they were afraid of the devil; 
and this was all they knew. But a few gave a more 
intelligible account of the piercing sense they then 
had of their sins, both inward and outward, which 
were set in array against them round about; of the 
dread they were in of the wrath of God, and the pun- 
ishment they had deserved, into which they seemed 
to be just falling, without any way to escape. One 



Horrible Outcries. 177 

of them told me, 'I was as if I was just falling down 
from the highest place I had ever seen. I thought the 
devil was pushing me off, and that God had forsaken 
me.' Another said, 'I felt the very fire of hell already 
kindled in my breast; and all my body was in as much 
pain as if I had been in a burning fiery furnace.' What 
wisdom is that which rebuketh these, that they 'should 
hold their peace?' Nay, let such a one cry after Jesus 
of Nazareth, till he saith, 'Thy faith hath made thee 
whole.' " 

Here is a class of convicts, whose awful outcries 
made it seem as if hell was moving to meet them at 
their coming, — who acknowledged their damnation 
would be just. Mr. Wesley carefully examined them, 
and remarks as to the results of his examination, "What 
wisdom is that which rebuketh these, that they should 
hold their peace? Nay, let such a one cry after Jesus of 
Nazareth, till he saith, Thy faith hath made thee whole." 
Glory to God! Mr. Wesley now endorses what he once 
repudiated. Horrible groanings, and screamings, are 
music in his ears ; and instead of rebuking, he prays ! that 
the lancet of conviction may be plunged to the hilt, 
until it finds the bottom of the corruption — that the 
Holy Ghost may rend the vail, and show poor sinners 
what a hell of iniquity their own hearts are. No 
wonder they cry as they come to the very gates of hell. 
They are like men aroused in the night, to find their 
dwellings and beds on fire. No Pharisee even would 
now step in and say, Hold your peace, stop your scream- 
ing; indifference at such a time would be thought 
insanity. We pity the man that dare lay his hands 
upon such convicts — that dare attempt to restrain the 
cries and abate their convictions. 

"In the afternoon God was eminently present with 
us, though rather to comfort than convince. But I 



178 Quotation. 

observed a remarkable difference, since I was here 
before, as to the manner of the work. None now were 
in trances, none cried out, none fell down or were con- 
vulsed; only some trembled exceedingly, a low murmur 
was heard, and many were refreshed with the multitude 
of peace. 

"The danger was, to regard extraordinary circum- 
stances too much, such as outcries, convulsions, visions, 
trances, as if these were essential to the inward work, 
so that it could not go on without them. Perhaps the 
danger is, to regard them too little; to condemn them 
altogether; to imagine they had nothing of God in 
them, and were a hindrance to his work. Whereas 
the truth is, 1. God suddenly and strongly convinced 
many that they were lost sinners; the natural conse- 
quence whereof were sudden outcries and strong bodily 
convulsions: 2. To strengthen and encourage them 
that believed, and to make his work more apparent, he 
favored several of them with divine dreams, others with 
trances and visions: 3. In some of these instances, 
after a time, nature mixed with grace: 4. Satan like- 
wise mimicked this work of God, in order to discredit 
the whole work : and yet it is not wise to give up this part, 
any more than to give up the whole. At first it was, 
doubtless, wholly from God. It is partly so at this 
day ; and he will enable us to discern how far, in every 
case, the work is pure, and where it mixes or degener- 
ates. 

"Let us even suppose that in some few cases there 
was a mixture of dissimulation; that persons pretended 
to see or feel what they did not, and imitated the cries 
or convulsive motions of those who were really over- 
powered by the Spirit of God: yet even this should not 
make either of us either deny or undervalue the real 
work of the Spirit." 



A Calm. — The Greater Danger. 179 

After the storm, then the calm. How terrible the 
howling of the storm-king, and how terrible the com- 
motion on the bosom of Genesareth; but when Jesus 
spake, old Boreas shut down his windows, and there 
was a great calm. So with the foregoing. The Spirit 
came like a tornado, ploughing into the very depths 
of the soul, causing it to cast up its mire and dirt of 
sin and wickedness. But when Jesus spake, the troubled 
soul was calm and peaceful. Mr. Wesley's congregation 
had got into green pastures, and by the side of tranquil 
waters. What more like heaven than the peace of God? 
It is like a profound, ever-flowing river. Here the 
soul 

"Sits and sings, 
And practices her wings." 

This is one way God blesses. But remember, these 
various operations are from the same Spirit. God is 
in the work, whether it be the gentle zephyr, or the 
mighty rushing wind. In this quotation, Mr. Wesley 
very properly warns us of the danger of making a 
staff of peculiar exercises. He says the danger was, 
in that particular instance, to regard extraordinary 
circumstances too much, such as outcries, convulsions, 
visions, trances, as if they were essential to the inward 
work; but, he adds, perhaps the danger is, more fre- 
quently, to regard them too little, to condemn them 
altogether, and to imagine that God had nothing to do 
with them, and that they were a hindrance to the 
work. The oak overthrown by the wind may be as 
sound as those which remain standing. Let the skeptic 
examine its roots, as they stand upturned. They 
are expansive and strong, and he sees no fault. He 
stood and saw the branches waving in the wind, and 
finally come thundering, crashing down. He saw not 



l8o COUNTERFEITS. 

the hand that had hold of it, but he knew there was 
an unseen power. Thus the Spirit prostrates the con- 
victed sinner, or humble believer, that skeptical sinners 
may be convincd of a supernatural power; often for 
this purpose he uproots the strong oaks, and the tall 
cedars, on the mountains of his spiritual Lebanon. 
Doubtless millions in heaven date their conviction to 
such scenes. 

Mr. Wesley remarks that at first the work was wholly 
from God, but after a while the Devil began to throw 
out counterfeit bills. He never counterfeits a broken 
or spurious bank. But spurious bills or coin will soon 
be detected by sanctified ears and eyes. But Mr. Wesley 
does not refuse and despise the good money, because 
Satan has put spurious money in circulation. He un- 
equivocally endorses trances, visions, etc. And here he 
has rock to stand upon. It is written, "Your young men 
shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams." 
Before closing our remarks upon this extract, we would 
observe, Mr. Wesley says the first of these were wholly 
from God. Wise men change their minds, but fools, 
never. He here endorses and acknowledges to be wholly 
from God, what he formerly regarded from the flesh or 
the Devil. O Lord ! gather all who are in the fog into a 
a Fetter-lane prayer-meeting, and free their worldly-wise 
and fettered souls. Amen! 

"I immediately began reading prayers, and expound- 
ing the Second lesson, both in the morning and evening. 
The morning service began at five, and ended at or 
before six; the evening service began at seven. 

"Now, supposing all the grown persons in the town 
had been present every morning and evening, would 
this have made them idle? Would they hereby have 
had less, or considerably more, time for working? 



Quotation. 181 

"io. The same rule I follow now, both at London, 
Bristol, and Newcastle-upon-Tyne; concluding the 
service at every place, winter and summer, before six 
in the morning; and not ordinarily beginning to preach 
till near seven in the evening. 

"Now, do you who make this objection work longer, 
throughout the year, than from six to six? Do you 
desire that the generality of people should? or can 
you count them idle that work so long? 

"Some few are indeed accustomed to work longer. 
These I advise not to come on week-days; and it is 
apparent that they take this advice, unless on some 
rare and extraordinary occasion. 

"But I hope none of you who turn them out of their 
employment have the confidence to talk of my making 
them idle! Do you (as the homely phrase is) cry wh — 
first ? I admire your cunning, but not your modesty. 

"So far am I from either causing or encouraging 
idleness, that an idle person, known to be such, is not 
suffered to remain in any of our societies; we drive 
him out, as we would a thief or a murderer. 'To show 
all possible diligence,' (as well as frugality,) is one of our 
standing rules; and one, concerning the observance of 
which we continually make the strictest inquiry. 

"n. 'But you drive them out of their senses. You 
make them mad.' Nay, then they are idle with a 
vengeance. This objection, therefore, being of the 
utmost importance, deserves our deepest consideration. 

"And First, I grant, it is my earnest desire to drive 
all the world into what you probably call madness ; 
(I mean, inward religion); to make them just as mad 
as Paul when he was so accounted by Festus. 

"The counting of all things on earth but dung and 
dross, so we may win Christ; the trampling under 



182 Quotation. 

foot all the pleasures of the world ; the seeking no treas- 
ure but in heaven; the having no desire of the praise 
of men, a good character, a fair reputation; the being 
exceedingly glad when men revile us, and persecute 
us, and say all manner of evil against us falsely; the 
giving God thanks, when our father and mother forsake 
us, when we have neither food to eat, nor raiment to 
put on, nor a friend but what shoots out bitter words, 
nor a place where to lay our head : this is utter distraction 
in your account ; but in God's it is sober, rational religion 
the genuine fruit, not of a distempered brain, not of a 
sickly imagination, but of the power of God in the heart, 
of victorious love, 'and of a sound mind.' 

12. I grant, Secondly, it is my endeavor to drive 
all I can into what you may term another species of 
madness, which is usually preparatory to this, and 
which I term repentance or conviction. 

"I cannot describe this better than a writer of 
our own has done. I will therefore transcribe his 
words : 

" 'When men feel in themselves the heavy burden 
of sin, see damnation to be the reward of it, and behold 
with the eye of their mind the horror of hell; they 
tremble, they quake, and are inwardly touched with 
sorrowfulness of heart, and cannot but accuse themselves, 
and open their grief unto Almighty God, and call unto 
him for mercy. This being done seriously, their mind 
is so occupied, partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly 
with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of 
hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink 
is laid apart, and loathsomeness (or loathing) of all 
worldly things and pleasures cometh in place. So that 
nothing then liketh them, more than to weep, to lament, 
to mourn, and both with words and behavior of body to 
show themselves weary of life.' 



Quotation. 183 

"Now, what if your wife, or daughter, or acquaint- 
ance, after hearing one of these field preachers, should 
come and tell you, that they saw damnation before 
them, and beheld with the eye of their mind the horror 
of hell? What if they should 'tremble and quake,' 
and be so taken up 'partly with sorrow and heaviness, 
partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this 
danger of hell and damnation, as to weep, to lament, 
to mourn, and both with words and behavior to show 
themselves weary of life'; would you scruple to say 
that they were stark mad ; that these fellows had driven 
them out of their senses; and that whatever writer it 
was that talked at this rate, he was fitter for Bedlam 
than any other place? 

"You have overshot yourself now to some purpose. 
These are the very words of our own Church. You 
may read them, if you are so inclined, in the first part 
of the 'Homily on Fasting.' And consequently, what 
you have peremptorily determined to be mere lunacy 
and distraction, is that 'repentance unto life,' which, 
in the judgment both of the Church and of St. Paul, is 
'never to be repented of.' 

"13. I grant, Thirdly, that extraordinary circum- 
stances have attended this conviction in some instances, 
A particular account of these I have frequently given. 
While the word of God was preached, some persons have 
dropped down as dead; some have been, as it were, in 
strong convulsions; some roared aloud, though not with 
an articulate voice; and others spoke the anguish of 
their souls. 

"This, I suppose, you believe to be perfect madness. 
But it is easily accounted for, either on principles of 
reason or Scripture. 

"First. On principles of reason. For, how easy is 
it to suppose, that a strong, lively, and sudden appre- 



184 Quotation. 

hension of the heinousness of sin, the wrath of God, 
and the bitter pains of eternal death, should effect the 
body as well as the soul, during the present laws of 
vital union, should interrupt or disturb the ordinary 
circulations, and put nature out of its course! Yea, 
we may question, whether, while this union subsists, 
it be possible for the mind to be affected, in so violent 
a degree, without some or other of those bodily symp- 
toms following. 

"It is likewise easy to account for these things, on 
principles of Scripture. For when we take a view of 
them in this light, we are to add, to the consideration 
of natural causes, the agency of those spirits who still 
excel in strength, and, as far as they have leave from 
God, will not fail to torment whom they cannot des- 
troy; to tear those that are coming to Christ. It is 
also remarkable, that there is plain Scripture precedent 
of every symptom which has lately appeared. So that 
we cannot allow even the conviction attended with these 
to be madness, without giving up both reason and 
Scripture. 

"14. I grant, Fourthly, that touches of extravagance, 
bordering on madness, may sometimes attend severe 
conviction. And this also is easy to be accounted for, 
by the present laws of the animal economy. For we 
know, fear or grief, from a temporal cause, may occa- 
sion a fever, and thereby a delirium. 

"It is not strange, then, that some, while under 
strong impressions of grief or fear, from a sense of the 
wrath of God, should for a season forget almost all 
things else, and scarce be able to answer a common 
question; that some should fancy they see the flames 
of hell, or the devil and his angels, around them; or 
that others, for a space, should be 'afraid,' like Cain, 
'whosoever meeteth me will slay me.' All these, and 



Quotation. — Let Uzzah Beware. 185 

whatever less common effects may sometimes accompany 
this conviction, are easily known from the natural 
distemper of madness, were it only by this one circum- 
stance, — that whenever the person convinced tastes 
the pardoning love of God, they all vanish away in a 
moment. 

"Lastly. I have seen one instance (I pray God I 
may see no more such!) of real, lasting madness. 

"Two or three years since, I took one with me to 
Bristol, who was under deep convictions; but of as 
sound an understanding in all respects, as ever he had 
been in his life. I went a short journey, and, when I 
came to Bristol again, found him really distracted. I 
inquired particularly, at what time and place, and in 
what manner, this disorder began. And I believe 
there are at least threescore witnesses alive, and ready 
to testify what follows: When I went to Bristol, he 
contracted an acquaintance with some persons, who 
were not of the same judgment with me. He was 
soon prejudiced against me: quickly after, when our 
society were met together in Kings wood house,* he 
began a vehement invective both against my person 
and doctrines. In the midst of this, he was struck 
raving mad. And so he continued till his friends put 
him into Bedlam; and probably laid his madness to 
my charge." 

Let all revilers and modern Uzzahs beware how 
they lay hands on the ark of God, however shaken by 
the ox-cart, lest they find a Bedlam on earth or in hell. 
God will not make his faithful embassadors scape-goats 
for their iniquities. 



i86 Extract, Vol. iv. — Pages 25-27. 



Chapter XXXIV. — Wesley's Views Continued. 

"Sunday, May 20.' — Being with Mr. B 11 at Ev- 
ert on, I was much fatigued and did not rise. But Mr. 
B. did, and observed several fainting and crying out 

while Mr. B e was preaching. Afterward, at church, 

I heard them cry out, especially children, whose agonies 
were amazing: one of the eldest, a girl ten or twelve 
years old, was full in my view, in violent contortions of 
body, and weeping aloud, I think incessantly during the 
whole service. And several much younger children were 

in Mr. B 11 's view, agonizing as this did. The church 

was equally crowded in the afternoon, the windows being 
filled within and without, and even the outside of the 

pulpit to the very top ; so that Mr. B e seemed almost 

stifled by their breath. Yet feeble and sickly as he is, he 
was continually strengthened, and his voice for the 
most part distinguishable, in the midst of all the out- 
cries. I believe there were present three times more 
men than women, a great part of whom came from 
far; thirty of them having set out at two in the morn- 
ing, from a place thirteen miles off. The text was, 
'Having a form of godliness, but denying the power 
thereof.' When the power of religion began to be 
spoken of, the presence of God really filled the place. 
And while poor sinners felt the sentence of death in 
their souls, what sounds of distress did I hear. The 
greatest number of them who cried or fell, were men; 
but some women, and several children, felt the power 
of the same almighty Spirit, and seemed just sinking 
into hell. This occasioned a mixture of various sounds ; 
some shrieking, some roaring aloud. The most general 
was a loud breathing like people half strangled and 



Extract, Vol. iv. — Pages 25-27. 18; 

gasping for life. And indeed almost all the cries were 
like those of human creatures dying in bitter anguish. 
Great numbers wept without any noise ; others fell down 
as dead ; some sinking in silence ; some with extreme noise 
and violent agitation. I stood on the pew seat, as did a 
young man in the opposite pew, an able-bodied, fresh, 
healthy countryman. But in a moment, while he seemed 
to think of nothing less, down he dropped with a violence 
inconceivable. The adjoining pews seemed shook with 
his fall. I heard afterwards the stamping of his feet, 
ready to break the boards, as he lay in strong convul- 
sions, at the bottom of the pew. Among several that 
were struck down in the next pew, was a girl who was 

as violently seized as him. When he fell, B 11 and 

I felt our souls thrilled with a momentary dread; as 
when one man is killed by a cannon ball, another often 
feels the wind of it. 

"Among the children who left the arrows of the 
Almighty, I saw a sturdy boy, about eight years old, 
who roared above his fellows, and seemed in his agony 
to struggle with the strength of a grown man. His 
face was red as scarlet; and almost all on whom God 
laid his hand, turned either very red, or almost black. 

When I returned, after a little walk, to Mr. B e's 

house, I found it full of people. He was fatigued, 
but said he would nevertheless give them a word of 
exhortation. I stayed in the next room, and saw 
the girl whom I had observed so particularly distressed 
in the church, lying on the floor as one dead; but with- 
out any ghastliness in her face. In a few minutes 
we were informed of a woman filled with peace and 
joy, who was crying out just before. She had come 
thirteen miles, and is the same person who dreamed 

Mr. B would come to her village on that very day 

whereon he did come, though without either knowing 



188 Extract, Vol. iv. — Pages 25-27. 

the place or the way to it. She was convinced at that 
time. Just as we heard of her deliverance, the girl 
on the floor began to stir. She was then set in a chair; 
and, after sighing a while, suddenly rose up, rejoicing 
in God. Her face was covered with the most beautiful 
smile I ever saw. She frequently fell on her knees, 
but was generally running to and fro, speaking these 
and the like words ' what can Jesus do for lost sinners ! 
He has forgiven all my sins! I am in heaven! O 
how he loves me! And how I love him!' Meantime 
I saw a thin, pale girl, weeping with sorrow for herself 
and joy for her companion. Quickly the smiles of 
Heaven came likewise on her, and her praises joined 
with those of the other. I also then laughed with 

extreme joy; so did Mr. B 11; (who said it was 

more than he could well bear;) so did all who knew the 
Lord, and some of those who were waiting for salvation; 
till the cries of them who were struck with the arrows 
of conviction, were almost lost in the sounds of joy. 

"Two or three well-dressed young women, who 
seemed careless before, now felt the power of God, 

had cried out with a loud and bitter cry. Mr. B 

about this time retired, and the Duke of M , with 

Mr. A 11, came in. They seemed inclined to make 

a disturbance, but were restrained, and in a short time 
quietly retired. We continued praising God with all 

our might; and his work went on as when Mr. B 

was exhorting. I had for some time observed a young 
woman all in tears; but now her countenance changed. 
The unspeakable joy appeared in her face, which quick 
as lightning was filled with smiles, and became of a 
crimson color. About the same time John Keeling, 
of Potton, fell into an agony ; but he grew calm in about 
a quarter of an hour, though without a clear sense of 
pardon. 



Extract, Vol. iv. — Pages 25-27. 189 

"Immediately after, a stranger, well dressed, who 
Stood facing me, fell backward to the wall; then for- 
ward on his knees, wringing his hands, and roaring 
like a bull. His face at first turned quite red, then 
almost black. He rose, and ran against the wall, till 
Mr. Keeling and another held him. He screamed 
out, 'O what shall I do, what shall I do? O for one 
drop of the blood of Christ!' As he spoke, God set 
his soul at liberty; he knew his sins were blotted out; 
and the rapture he was in seemed too great for human 
nature to bear. He had come forty miles to hear 

Mr. B , and was to leave him the next morning; 

which he did with a glad heart, telling all who came 
in his way, what God had done for his soul. I ob- 
served about the time that Mr. Coe (that was his name) 
began to rejoice, a girl, eleven or twelve years old, 
exceedingly poorly dressed, who appeared to be as deeply 
wounded, and as desirous of salvation, as any. But 
I lost sight of her, till I heard the joyful sound of another 
born in Sion; and found, upon inquiry, it was her, 
the poor, disconsolate, gypsy-looking child. And now 
did I see such a sight, as I do not expect again on this 
side eternity. The faces of the three justified children, 
and I think of all the believers present, did really shine: 
and such a beauty, such a look of extreme happiness, 
and at the same time of divine love and simplicity, 
did I never see in human faces until now. The newly 
justified eagerly embraced one another, weeping on each 
other's necks for joy. Then they saluted all of their own 
sex, and besought both men and women to help them 
in praising God. 

"I have mentioned only one man, two women, and 
three children at this time justified in the house, but 
we have, perhaps, omitted some. And it is probable 
there was more than one justified at the church, though 



iCfO Wonderful Scene. 

but one came to speak of it; for all are not equally 
free to glorify God in the midst of his people. I wish 
all who find the same salvation with Mr. Coe, were as 
ready to proclaim redeeming love! " 

A strange yet glorious scene! The preacher is not 
disturbed by the various sounds that mingle and fill 
xhe air. He is strengthened as praise ascends from 
hundreds of voices like the curling smoke from the 
golden censer. Take heed, says Jesus, that you offend 
not one of these little ones that believe in me. While 
the preacher was talking about the mere form of reli- 
gion, the mere shell, no fire fell; but when he began 
to proclaim the power of God, then the quiver of the 
Almighty was shaken over these stout, athletic men, 
and out flew the arrows like forked lightning from the 
cloud that rested on the brow of Sinai. Like Moses, 
they feared and quaked, until a gentle voice from 
Mount Calvary fell upon their ears, saying, look upon 
me and be ye saved. Amid the roar of the spiritual 
cannon, mingled with the screams of the wounded and 
dying, the two generals stood, listening to the whis- 
tling bullets, and witnessing the death of the old Adam 
in many hearts. It was an awful but glorious spot. 
Terror and glory in their extremes! 

4 ' Christ wants no cowards in his band 
Who will their colors fly; 
He calls for valiant hearted men, 
Who're not afraid to die." 

Behold what changes are here wrought. We see, 
not death, paleness, struggling like those of a maniac 
trying to leap through the walls of his prison; but 
faces gleaming with celestial radiance, leaping and 
dancing for joy, shouts of victory and praise. All 
classes are here. Old and young, wise and simple, 



"Another Sight." — Laughing, Blessing. 191 

upper ten and ragged gypsy, all unite to praise and 
glorify God. All are brought by the gospel to a water 
level. Behold the young converts. But a few hours 
before, they were grievously tormented by the departing 
devil, but now they are embracing each other, and 
calling on all to help praise God. Glory to God! Let 
the echo fly! They did not wait for an introduction 
to one another, according to a French dancing master's 
etiquette. They were like little children, embracing 
and loving each other. 

But let us look after the two preachers. How does 
it effect their dignity? especially brother Wesley? 
Both of them are ready to split their sides with laughter. 
Their laughter was extreme, so great was their joy. 
In modern phrase it must have been a horse laugh. It 
is very likely Mr. Wesley, as he married one of Saul's 
daughters, took a gentle curtain lecture after he got 
home, as did his predecessor, King David, for dancing 
before the ark ; but both had rock to stand upon and were 
not moved. It is written, I will turn back their cap- 
tivity and fill their mouth with laughter. Again, praise 
him in the dance. 

Never shall we forget how the laughing of the saints 
grated on our ears before we were converted; but our 
captivity was turned back, our burden removed, and 
our mouth rilled with loud laughter, while lying on 
our bed in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, sixteen 
years ago, the tenth of August, about one o'clock in 
the morning; so loud that a slumbering encampment 
was aroused, and the saints gathered around the tent 
door to join their voices in praise to the God of our 
salvation. It was probably ten minutes before we could 
articulate ; then the word glory rolled out like hot bomb- 
shells from a mortar, exploded in the camp, and set all 
on fire. Next morning I was told by a sister that her 



192 Experience. 

aunt, a sober-sided Presbyterian, exclaimed, as she 
heard our laughter: — Poor Captain Henry! He has 
become a maniac. His deep sorrow has finally dethroned 
his reason. I replied, as the sister related this, that I 
had lost my old carnal mind, and had received the mind 
which was in Jesus. This brought forth another volley 
of laughter from the depths of our soul ; and hundreds 
of times, like Mr. Wesley and his friend, we have been 
so filled, as the tide of glory rolled in, that we could do 
nothing else but laugh. The sight of gibbets, racks, and 
flaming martyr's fires could not have stopped us. Amen ! 
Hallelujah! 



Chapter XXXV. — Wesley's Views Continued. 

"Query 1. Whether a due and regular attendance on 
the public oftices of religion, paid in a serious and com- 
posed way, by good (that is, well meaning) men, does 
not answer the true ends of devotion. 

Answer. I suppose by devotion, you mean public 
worship; by the true ends of it, the love of God and 
man; and by a due and regular attendance on the 
public offices of religion, paid in a serious and com- 
posed way, the going as often as we have opportunity 
to our parish church, and to the sacrament there ad- 
ministered. If so, the question is, whether this attend- 
ance on those offices does not produce the love of God 
and man. I answer, sometimes it does, and sometimes 
it does not. I myself thus attended them for many 
years; and yet am conscious to myself that during that 
whole time I had no more of the love of God than a 
stone. And I know many hundreds, perhaps thousands, 



Extract, Pages 45-46, Vol. v. 193 

of serious persons, who are ready to testify the same 
thing. 

Q. 2. But is not this a better evidence of the co- 
operation of the Holy Spirit, than those sudden agonies? 

A. All these persons, as well as I, can testify also, 
that this is no evidence at all of the co-operation of the 
Holy Spirit. For some years I attended these public 
offices, because I would not be punished for non-attend- 
ance. And many of these attended them, because 
their parents did before them, or because they would 
not lose their character: many more, because they 
confounded the means with the end, and fancied this 
opus operatum (mere performance) would bring them 
to heaven. How many thousands are now under this 
strong delusion! Beware, you bring not their blood 
on your own head ! 

Q. 3. However, does not this attendance better an- 
swer those ends, than those roarings, screamings, &c? 

A. I suppose you mean, better than an attendance 
on that preaching, which has often been accompanied 
with these. 

I answer, (1.) There is no manner of need to set the 
one in opposition to the other; seeing we continually 
exhort all who attend on our preaching to attend the 
offices of the Church. And they do pay a more regular 
attendance there than ever they did before. (2.) Their 
attending the Church did not, in fact, answer those 
ends at all till they attended this preaching also. (3.) 
It is the preaching of remission of sins through Jesus 
Christ, which alone answers the true ends of devotion. 
And this will always be accompanied with the co-opera- 
tion of the Holy Spirit ; though not always with sudden 
agonies, roarings, screamings, tremblings, or droppings 
down. Indeed, if God is pleased at any time to permit 



194 Wesley's Morality. 

any of these, I cannot hinder it. Neither can this 
hinder the work of his Spirit in the soul; which may be 
carried on either with or without them. But (4.) I 
cannot apprehend it to be any reasonable proof, that 
"this is not the work of God," that a convinced sinner 
should "fall into an extreme agony, both of body and 
soul;" (Journal iii, p. 26;) that another should "roar 
for the disquietness of her heart;" (p. 40;) that others 
should scream or "cry with a loud and bitter cry, 'what 
must we do to be saved?' " (p. 50;) that others should 
"exceedingly tremble and quake;" (p. 58;) and others, 
in a deep sense of the majesty of God, "should fall pros- 
trate upon the ground." (p. 59.) 

Indeed, by picking out one single word from a sentence, 
and then putting together what you have gleaned in 
sixty or seventy pages, you have drawn a terrible group 
for them who look no further than those two lines in 
the "Observations." But the bare addition of half a 
line to each word, just as it stands in the place from 
which you quoted it, reconciles all both to Scripture and 
reason; and the spectre form vanishes away." — Vol. 
v, p. 45-46. 

An important question is here decided. What nails 
the thing to the counter is, that Mr. Wesley brings in 
his own experience. If salvation could have been by 
works, he no doubt would have received it. He was 
probably as moral a young man as the young man in 
the Gospel, to whom the Savior said, one thing thou 
lackest. Highly educated and polished, he mounted 
the pulpit with periwig and silk gown, and read prayers 
well fixed up by the printer, and then read his foolscap 
from firstly to lastly, and dreamed of heaven. Terrible 
thought. All this was done with a heart as destitute 
as a stone of true, flaming love. If one class more than 
another will be terror-stricken in the judgment, it will 



Religion, So-called. 195 

be those whose hopes have been raised as high as heaven, 
but who must be thrust down to hell. Like the poison- 
ous vine they twined around the sturdy oak, and rested 
on its strong branches, without partaking of its life- 
giving sap. Dead professors sleep in the arms of the 
church without partaking of the true life of Christ. Had 
Mr. Wesley fallen by the hand of death at this period, he 
would have been eulogized in his funeral sermon, as one 
of the tallest saints of earth; but his home, according 
to his own views, would have been in hell. O Lord, 
arouse the sleeping virgins before the Bridegroom 
cometh. The world's perfection is made up of three 
things: do not harm your neighbors, do them all the 
good you can, and join the church, and pay, pray, preach 
and commune. If any man can discover with a micro- 
scope one thread of fine linen or the righteousness of 
Christ in this kind of piety, he will be entitled to a 
patent as the first discoverer of a way of getting to 
heaven on the second table of the law, while neglecting 
the first great commandment. 

Another point in this extract is, that outward dem- 
onstrations are not essential to salvation; that God can 
save in a calm as well as in a storm. Yet, adds Mr. 
Wesley, if he pleases to let fly the tornado as in the 
day of Pentecost, I cannot help it. He speaks from 
experience. Perhaps none were more strongly opposed 
than he to these manifestations, at first. But the Fetter- 
Lane prayer-meeting settled that matter between him 
and God. After that time he did not spend his time 
in laying blocks in the way of the old Gospel engine ; on 
the contrary, he raised his warning voice against all 
ministers and laymen who dared to raise their voices 
against these things. Palsied will be the arm that opposes 
God, or quenches the Spirit. We venture to say that 
there are thousands in and out of our Zion who had 



196 Extract, Vol. vii, Page 502. 

rather run the risk of perdition than be exercised as your 
humble author has frequently been ; and there are many 
professors who will do more to put down such things, 
than to check sin and save souls. May God have mercy 
on them. Amen ! With this volume we shake the dust 
off our feet as a warning to them. 

We have now followed Mr. Wesley farther than is re- 
ally necessary. We have seen eye to eye; and we have 
the prophets and apostles to endorse us, and also the 
Shepherd and Bishop of our souls. We therefore, after 
noticing in another chapter certain misrepresentations 
of Mr. Wesley's views, pass along our contemplated 
journey. We will conclude this chapter by quoting 
a few lines from page 502, vol. 7, where he sums up the 
whole matter and dismisses it. 

"Upon the whole, I declare once for all, (and I hope 
to be troubled no more upon the subject,) I look upon 
some of those bodily symptoms to have been preter- 
natural or diabolical, and others to have been effects 
which in some circumstances naturally followed from 
strong and sudden emotions of mind. Those emotions 
of mind, whether of fear, sorrow or joy, I believe 
were chiefly supernatural, springing from the gracious 
influences of the Spirit of God which accompanied his 
word." 



Chapter XXXVI. — Misrepresentations op Wesley. 

A few months ago, there appeared in the Northern 
Independent a long string of quotations from the works 
of John Wesley, said to have been selected by a Uni- 
versalist, which appear to condemn everything like 
shouting, falling, etc. Very soon after, there appeared, 



Misrepresentations of Wesley. 197 

in the same paper, over the signature of Rev. D. W. 
Thurston, Presiding Elder of Cortland District, Oneida 
Conference, another list of quotations, which strongly 
approve what in the first quotations seems to be dis- 
approved. The quotations seem as unlike as sin and 
holiness. John Wesley his own bitterest antagonist! 
We cannot pass from the consideration of Mr. Wesley's 
views, without noticing these misrepresentations, which 
have been so extensively read throughout the country. 
We shall endeavor to say no harder things about this 
Universalist than he deserves. 

The first two quotations of our Universalist friend, 
are as follows: 

"I told George Bell what I did not admire, namely, 
his screaming now and then in so strange a manner." 
Vol. iv, p. 142. 

"I had a second opportunity to hear. Saw no cause 
to hinder him. I heard George Bell once more, and 
was convinced he must not pray at the Foundry. The 
reproach of Christ I am willing to bear, but not the 
reproach of enthusiasm, if I can help it." — p. 143. 

These extracts are garbled, and fail to give Mr. Wes- 
ley's meaning. He seems here to condemn all screaming, 
and to brand as enthusiasm everything of the kind. 
But such is not the case. We will quote Mr. Wesley's 
own words: 

"Being determined to hear for myself, I stood where 
I could hear and see, without being seen. George 
Bell prayed, in the whole, pretty near an hour. His 
fervor of spirit I could not but admire. I afterward 
told him what I did not admire; namely, 1. His 
screaming every now and then, in so strange a manner, 
that one could scarce tell what he said: 2. His think- 
ing he had the miraculous discernment of spirits; and, 3. 
His sharply condemning his opposers." — Vol. iv, p, 142. 



198 Misrepresent^ uons of Wesley. 

The second quotation is garbled worse than the first. 
We have not space to quote largely. It will be enough 
to say that it is composed of four sentences, which are 
selected from three-fourths of a closely printed page 
of a large octavo volume, and are ingeniously put 
together to serve the compiler's purpose. It is nearly 
as bad as false quotation. 

It might appear at first sight that Mr. Wesley does 
condemn all screaming. But remember whom he con- 
demns. By reference to page 140 and 141 we have the 
character of the condemned at length. George Bell and 
others had fallen into the most enthusiastic doctrines. 
They supposed a person might become as perfect as an 
angel ; might become absolutely perfect ; be infallible, and 
above temptation. They depreciated justification. They 
taught that persons sanctified need no longer look to 
Jesus, and had no need of self-examination and private 
prayer. And their deportment in many respects was as 
scandalous as their views. They were filled with pride, 
were wanting in meekness, were impatient of contradic- 
tion, and were censorious. If these were their views, and 
if such was their deportment, it was correct in Wesley 
to conclude that they had mistaken the work of the 
imagination for the voice of the Spirit, and were diseased 
with enthusiasm of a malignant type. The errors of 
George Bell, and the defects in his character, gave 
character to his religious exercises; and Wesley, always 
quick to detect counterfeit, at once pronounced against 
them. The propriety of our interpretation will be seen 
when it is remembered that elsewhere he condemns not 
the screams, but those who opposed and derided them. 
Remember, reader, the extended extracts in former 
chapters. 

The third quotation, from p. 151, is as follows: 

"The wilderness of our poor brethren in London has 



Misrepresentations of Wesley. 199 

put it (Christian Perfection) out of countenance above 
two hundred miles off; so these strange advocates 
for perfection have given it a deeper wound than all 
its enemies together could do! 

No wonder that Christian Perfection was disgraced, 
When George Bell, Tho's Maxfield, and their associates, 
were regarded as its representatives. 

The next quotation is from p. 157: 

"The bodies of two or three, sometimes ten or twelve, 
are violently agitated; and they leap up and down, in 
all manner of postures, frequently for hours together. 
I think there needs no great penetration to understand 
this. They are honest, upright men, who really feel 
the love of God in their hearts. But they have little 
experience, either of the ways of God, or the devices 
of Satan. So he serves himself of their simplicity, in 
order to wear them out, and to bring a discredit on 
the work of God." 

This, as the connection shows, refers to the Welsh 
Jumpers. Our next chapter will give an account of 
them; we will therefore pass them with a single remark. 
We think Mr. Wesley in error. His judgment is safe 
respecting what passes under his own observation; but 
in regard to the work in Wales, we prefer the testimony 
of persons on the ground. 

Again our friend garbles: 

"The work was greater and more pure in Dublin 
than in London, because there was no whimsical or 
enthusiastical persons; all were calm and sober-minded." 
—p. 132. 

There will be no need of a comment, after giving 
the words of Mr. Wesley. What shall we say of a man 
who quotes thus: 

"In some respects the work of God in this place 
was more remarkable than even that in London. — 



2oo Misrepresentations of Wesley. 

i. It is far greater, in proportion to the time, and to 
the number of people. That society had above seven- 
and-twenty hundred members ; this is not a fifth part of 
the number. Six months after the flame broke out 
there, we had about thirty witnesses of the great sal- 
vation. In Dublin there were above forty in less than 
four months. 2. The work was more pure. In all 
this time, while they were mildly and tenderly treated, 
there were none of them headstrong or unadvisable; 
none that were wiser than their teachers; none who 
dreamed of being immortal or infallible, or incapable 
of temptation; in short, no whimsical or enthusiastic 
persons; all were calm and sober-minded." — Vol. iv, 
p. 132. 

Next extract from Vol. iv, p. 631: 

"Satan strives to push many of them to extrava- 
gance. This appears in several instances: — 1. Fre- 
qeuntly three or four, yea, ten or twelve, pray aloud 
all together. 2. Some of them, perhaps many, scream 
all together as loud as they possibly can. 3. Some of 
them use improper, yea, indecent, expressions in prayer. 
4. Several drop down as dead; and are as stiff as a 
corpse; but in a while they start up, and cry, "Glory! 
glory! perhaps twenty times together. Just so do the 
French prophets, and very lately the Jumpers in Wales 
bring the real work into contempt." 

His reference to the Welsh Jumpers we dispose of 
as above. The French prophets will be referred to in 
a subsequent chapter, and hence passed by for the 
present. Our concern is not so much to justify the 
jumpers and prophets, as peculiar exercises in general. 
This passage seems to go against all extraordinary 
manifestations. Really it does not. "While they 
are full of love, Satan strives to push many of them 
into extravagance." Not at all strange. He would 



Misrepresentations of Wesley. 201 

do this, 1. by leading them to value these extraordinary 
manifestations too highly, and 2. thus leading them 
to strive for them as an end, rather than be content, 
with or without them, if true holiness only is obtained. 
3. This would occasion a resort to them as a means 
of obtaining God's blessing, in which case they are 
man-made. The devil would be very glad to get all 
into this extravagance. He has an inveterate dislike 
of the true coin, and delights to steal it away and sub- 
stitute the bogus. We condemn such extravagance, 
and we believe this is what Mr. Wesley condemns. 
It is seeking salvation by works. It is a mistaken idea 
that loud prayers, etc., secure the blessing. The true 
process: 1. simple faith in Jesus; 2. the baptism of 
fire; 3. then the loud hallelujahs, etc. That this is 
precisely Mr. Wesley's view we might show by many 
quotations; we refer only to one: "The danger was 
(in that particular instance,) to regard extraordinary 
circumstances too much, such as outcries, convulsions, 
visions, trances; as if these were essential to the inward 
work, so that it could not go on without them. Perhaps 
the danger is (more frequently) to regard them too little; 
to condemn them altogether ; to imagine they had nothing 
of God in them, ana were a hindrance to his work." 

Again our garbler: 

"Scream no more, at the peril of your soul. God 
now warns you by me. I never scream, I never strain 
myself; I dare not; I know it would be a sin against 
God and my own soul!" — Vol. vii, p. 13. 

Here is a collection of sentences gleaned and ar- 
ranged to suit the demand, and so nicely separated 
from everything that fixes the real meaning of Wesley, 
that the purpose of the compiler is met. It shows 
one thing that he did not probably intend to have under- 
stood, and that is that he is either reckless in regard 



202 Misrepresentations of Wesley. 

to truth, or possesses no more than his share of sense. 
The letter was written to Mr. John King, a preacher 
in America. It does not refer at all to the exercises 
of worshippers, but refers to loud, vehement preaching. 
He means to say that a person cannot kill himself 
without periling his soul; and refers to Tho's Walsh 
and John Manners, who were in "grevious darkness 
before they died, because they shortened their lives." 

"Some very unstill sisters, who always took care to 
stand near me, and tried who could cry loudest, since 
I have had them removed out of my sight, have been 
as quiet as lambs. The first night I preached here, 
half my words were lost through the noise of their out- 
cries; last night, before I began, I gave public notice 
that whosoever cried so as to drown my voice, should, 
without any man's hurting or judging them, be gently 
carried to the farthest corner of the room; but my 
porters had no employment the whole night." — White- 
head's Life of Wesley, p. 152. 

We can scarcely restrain our indignation while reading 
these extracts. Charles Wesley — these are his words, — 
abhorred counterfeits; and so do we. Previous to the 
words above quoted there is an account of the detection 
counterfeits. These sisters were such, or were regarded 
as such, and very properly restrained. But we are 
speaking of John Wesley's views and will dwell no 
longer on this quotation. 

"Speaking of bodily emotions of various kinds, 
Wesley says; 'I always ascribe these symptoms to Satan 
tearing them.' " — Vol. 7, p. 501. 

These words are taken from a letter to a Dr. Ruth- 
erf orth, which contains this paragraph which we here 
quote, although quoted in a former chapter: 

"Upon the whole, I declare once for all, (and I hope 
to be troubled no more upon the subject,) I look upon 



Misrepresentations of Wesley. 203 

some of those bodily symptoms to have been preter- 
natural or diabolical, and others to have been effects 
which in some circumstances naturally followed from 
strong and sudden emotions of mind. Those emotions 
of mind, whether of fear, sorrow, or joy, I believe were 
chiefly supernatural, springing from the gracious in- 
fluences of the Spirit of God which accompanied his 
word." — Vol. vii, p. 502. 

Now, reader, what do you think of a man who can 
thus misrepresent an author? and what do you think 
of a doctrine that requires such misrepresentation to 
sustain it? 

''There is a fervor which has passed for devotion, 
but it is not true nor Scriptural devotion. It is 'loud 
shouting, horrid, unnatural screaming, repeating the 
same words twenty or thirty times, jumping two or 
three feet high, throwing about the arms and legs, 
both of men and women, in a manner shocking not 
only to religion, but to common decency," — Vol. ii, 
p. 444. 

The quotation fails to show the precise intention of 
the author; but our Universalist friend has done very 
well this time. The extract shows Mr. Wesley's ab- 
horrence of everything hypocritical; how jealous he 
was of every departure from simple faith. He would 
not have Christians act like priests of Baal on Mount 
Carmel, in order to get the fire; but like Elijah, whose 
faith in his God brought the fire down which consumed 
the sacrifice. But when the fire falls, what then? 
Would he have us cold as statues? restrain us from 
any demonstration of joy? He would not, as the ex- 
tracts in former chapters show. 

The last quotation: 

"I dislike, 1. The speaking or praying of several at 
once. 2. Praying to the Son of God only, or more 



204 Misrepresentations of Wesley. 

than to the Father. 3. The using improper expressions 
in prayer. 4. The using poor, flat, bald hymns. 5. 
Those never kneeling in prayer. (They sat on the 
floor.) 6. Your using postures or gestures highly in- 
decent. 7. Your screaming, even so as to make the 
words unintelligible. 8. Your affirming people will 
be justified or sanctified just now. 9. The affirming 
they are what they are not. 10. The bidding them 
say, 'I believe.' n. The bitterly condemning any 
that oppose, calling them wolves, etc., and pronouncing 
them hypocrites, or not justified!" — Wesley's letter 
to Messrs. Maxfield, Bell, and Owen, vol. iv, p. 140. 

This is leveled against George Bell, Tho's Maxfield, 
and others, to whom we have already referred. We 
will take up the items in this paragraph and give a 
brief comment on each: 

1. "The speaking or praying of several at once." 
Mr. Wesley's words are, "the singing, or speaking, or 
praying of several at once." Our friend, the garbler 
had to skip a little. Does Mr. Wesley condemn many 
singing together at the same time? He certainly 
does, if he condemns the offering of many prayers at 
the same time. We must not make Mr. Wesley a 
fool. His extreme brevity renders him obscure, and 
he probably condemns singing, speaking, and praying 
all at once. Many a time has he heard, only to com- 
mend, hundreds of saints and sinners praying at the 
same moment. 

2. "Praying to the Son of God only, or more than 
to the Father." True. We may pray to the Son; 
but in general we should pray to the Father in the 
Son's name. 

3. "The using improper expressions in prayer." 
Our garbler leaves out the words, "sometimes too 
bold, if not irreverent; sometimes too pompous and 



Misrepresentations of Wesley. 205 

magnificent, extolling yourself rather than God, and 
telling what you are, not what you want." Our friend 
takes especial care that Mr. Wesley's real meaning is 
kept in the dark; he does not care to have us know 
precisely who and what he disapproves. 

4. "The using poor, flat, and bald hymns." In our 
view no hymn is poor, flat, and bald, that stirs and 
blesses the soul. Mr. Wesley was a greater stickler for 
choice poetry — poetry approved by the critical and 
cultivated tastes — than we are. 

5. "Those never kneeling in prayer (they sat on the 
floor)." Mr. Wesley only says, "the never kneeling in 
prayer." Our friend can add to, as well as subtract 
from, when necessary to his purpose. We believe 
in kneeling, and therefore entirely agree with Mr. 
Wesley. 

6. "Your using postures or gestures highly indecent." 
All right. But before our friend makes anything out of 
it he will have to give specifications. 

7. "Your screaming even so as to make the words 
unintelligible." The peculiarities of George Bell, here 
denounced, we cannot fully know; but that Mr. Wes- 
ley condemns all outcries, or screams, is not true. In 
another place he says, in reference to outcries in the 
congregation, "what wisdom is that which rebuketh 
these, that they 'should hold their peace'?" 

8. "Your affirming people will be justified or sanc- 
tified just now." George Bell and his confederates 
were not sound in doctrine. But our friend wishes to 
make Mr. Wesley here condemn what he elsewhere 
teaches. He does not oppose here the faith which says, 
Lord, I believe. In a letter written two years after the 
words were penned upon which we are commenting, he 
speaks thus: "What is time necessary for? It must 
be either to do or to suffer. Whereas, if nothing be 



206 Misrepresentations of Wesley. 

required but simple faith, a moment is as good as an 
age." — Vol. 7, p. 14. 

9. "The affirming they are what they are not." Those 
who do it are either deceived or hypocrites. There were 
some of both among those whom Wesley condemns. 

10. "The bidding them say 'I believe,'" before they 
are prepared for it. Faith has its conditions. These 
conditions met, Mr. Wesley and the Savior encouraged 
to 'believe that we receive.' 

11. "The bitterly condemning any that oppose, call- 
ing them wolves, etc., and pronouncing them hypo- 
crites or not justified." To rebuke sin is a duty. Read 
Wesley's sermon on "The Duty of Reproving our Neigh- 
bor." But censoriousness, that is, rebuking or condemn 
ing in a bitter, unloving spirit, is wrong. 

What now is the conclusion of the whole matter? 
We answer: 

1. Wesley countenances all genuine spiritual demon- 
strations, however extraordinary, such as prostrations, 
cries of terror, and shouts of praise, and condemns all 
who oppose and ridicule them. We believe we have 
given the evidence in these pages. 

2. He was quick to detect and severe to condemn 
the counterfeits of Satan and weak persons. 

3. That in the warmth of his zeal against the false, he 
sometimes expresses himself in a manner which seems 
to disparage the true. In a few instances we think he 
wrongfully condemns; but on the main question we 
believe him right. 



Christmas Evans. — Welsh Jumping. 207 



Chapter XXXVII. — Welsh Jumping. 

After bidding farewell to Rev. John Wesley, permit 
us to introduce the Rev. Christmas Evans, a Calvan- 
istic Baptist, who figured in Wales about forty or fifty 
years ago. He was to the Baptists in Wales what 
Wesley was to the Methodists. He was blessed with 
one more eye than the author of this work. In a two- 
fold sense he might be said to have a single eye — one 
single natural eye, and an eye single to the glory of God. 
His thoughts found in his sermons, and extracts from 
his other writings, are like sparks that fly from the anvil. 
They are light and heat to the souls of men. 

But we must hasten on ; our limits will only permit us 
to make him a Paul Pry call. 

It is said that at one time Mr. Evans was conversing 
with a group of English ministers concerning the lesser 
and greater lights in the Gospel ministry when he was 
rallied with the combustible nature of his Welsh brethren . 
True, said Mr. Evans, while an Englishman is lighting 
his pipe, a Welshman will set the world on fire; assigning 
as a reason, their superior spirituality and eloquence 
The nettled Englishman then accused him of being a 
Welsh Jumper. Yes, he replied, you would jump, too, 
if you had such preaching as we have — preaching that 
makes every precious promise a telescope which brings 
the glittering crown of righteousness so near that you 
could touch it. 

We now give an extract which contains Mr. Evans' 
views on 

WELSH JUMPING. 

"In the autumn of 1829, Mr. Evans wrote in his diary 
extensive notes of a conversation which he had with 
several ministers in Bristol, on 'the manner of religious 



208 Welsh Jumping. 

rejoicing so remarkable among the Welsh.' His friends 
condemned it in a sweeping sentence, under the name 
of 'Welsh jumping.' Mr. Evans attempted its vindica- 
tion. We insert his own account: 

"I observed that I could find no account of it among 
the Welsh until the time of Harris and Rowlands, 
Calvinistic Methodists, who flourished in Wales about 
the same time as Whitefield and Wesley in England. 
The preaching of these men was the means of producing 
a religious revival throughout all the principality, 
which had sunk into a state of deep lethargy, since 
the time of the great awakening under Vavasor Powell, 
about one hundred years before. At this period nothing 
was to be seen in almost every parish but young men 
and young women flocking together into the churches 
and church-yards, and engaging in different gambols 
and pastimes, such as ball-playing, foot-ball, leaping, 
fighting, and such like frolics, as if Wales had been 
changed into an Olympic mountain, and old paganism 
restored again. It is true, there were some preachers 
and churches, both Congregational and Baptist, then 
existing in the principality; but their talents, their 
spirits, or their magnanimity could not storm such a 
fortress of impiety. And, besides, there was a dreadful 
prejudice still remaining in the country against all sects, 
since the days of Charles II.; and they suffered persecu- 
tion even unto blood, for about one hundred years previ- 
ous to the appearing of these men. But from the 
ashes of those sufferers the revival by Harris and 
Rowlands sprung up, as did Luther from the ashes of 
Huss and Jerome of Prague. 

"Mr. Rowlands and Mr. Harris were both of the 
communion of the Episcopal church, and, as such, 
there was not so much enmity against them at first; 
but after they had come out, and when the people 



Welsh Jumping. 209 

understood that they were preachers of the cross of 
Christ, considerable persecution arose against them 
from the multitude; but it was now too late — for the 
gates of the city were opened — the leaven was put in 
the meal — the fire had been kindled — the sword was 
drawn from the scabbord, and many had been wounded, 
(spiritually,) and were ready to open the door for the 
gospel in spite of every danger. Harris, Rowlands, and 
the two Williams, had been clothed with power from 
on high, and the hammer of their ministry was suffi- 
ciently heavy to break in pieces the northern iron.* 
Several laymen of powerful minds were also raised up 
about this time; such as Mr. David Morris, and others, 
who were valuable auxiliaries to carry on the work. By 
their ministry, this praising and jumping in religious 
enjoyment began in Wales, which has not wholly left 
it on certain occasions until this day. 

"As an apology for them, granting at the same time 
the possibility of extremes even in a good cause in the 
present state; and that graceless persons may feel 
something from these excitements as of the powers of the 
world to come, in the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost 
in the apostolic age; observe, 

11 1. That it appears to me like the residue of Spirit, 
and the powers of the world to come ; which were neces- 
sary to open a way for the gospel through the darkness 
and obduracy of paganism in the days of the Apostles. 

"2. It is no argument of importance against it, that 
many graceless persons felt a considerable degree of 
influence at the time, as well as others; for so it was 
in the case of Saul, king of Israel, and some besides 
named in Scripture. 

"3. There is no essential difference between relig- 
ious enjoyment in Wales and that which is now experi- 

*Jer. xv. 12, 



210 Welsh Jumping. 

enced in America; and that which accompanied the 
preaching of Whitefield in England, and even in Scotland 
and that which also followed the ministry of President 
Edwards, in America, when whole towns and neighbor- 
hoods echoed with the sounds of persons praying and 
praising God, as if a bursting cloud-shower of the Spirit 
of grace and prayer had descended upon them. Persons 
under the ministry of Whitefield wept, cried for mercy, 
and even fainted by the power of this influence. 

"4. And such gracious influences are necessary for 
the spread of the Gospel in every country, and in every 
land ; and therefore the Millennium is described in the 
Bible as a period remarkable for the outpouring of the 
Holy Ghost — that a nation shall be born at once, * — 
and the flowing of the nations shall be to the mountain 
of the Lord's house, f It is this influence that has 
driven, as it were, the Gospel into every nook of the 
mountains of Wales, as well as into its cities, towns 
and villages; while in England, with all the advantages 
of education, the gospel, in a manner, is hid in a corner; 
and it has not run through the country, and searched 
out, and taken possession of all the inland parts of that 
spiritual Africa, and that for the want of these gales of 
divine influence, the powers peculiar to the Gospel: and 
it can never be spread through every part of England as 
it is in Wales without these gifts. Common preaching 
will not do to rouse sluggish districts from the heavy 
slumbers into which they are sunk. Indeed, formal 
prayers and lifeless sermons are like bulwarks raised 
against these things in England; and this evil genius 
has also entered the principality under the pretense of 
order. Five or six stanzas will be sung as dry as Gil boa, 
instead of one or two verses, like a new song, full of God, 
of Christ, and the Spirit of grace, until the heart is a*t- 
*lsaiah lxvi. 8. tl sa -i a h ii. 3, 



Welsh Jumping. 211 

tuned for worship. The burying-grounds are kept in 
fine order in Glamorganshire, and green shrubs and herbs 
grow on the graves, but all this is of little value, for the 
inhabitants of them are all dead — so is every form of 
godliness where its power is not felt. Order without 
life is exceedingly worthless. You exhibit all the char- 
acter of human nature, leaving every bud of the flower 
to open in the beams of the sun, except in divine wor- 
ship. On other occasions you appear to have as much 
fire in your affections as the Welsh have. If you are 
noticed in a court of law, the most efficient advocate, 
such as Erskine, will give you the greatest satisfaction; 
but you are contented with a preacher, speaking so life- 
lessly and so low that you can hardly understand the 
third part of what he says ; and you will call this decency 
in the sanctuary. To-morrow, I shall see you answer- 
ing fully to the human character, in your own actions. 
When the speakers on the platform will be urging the 
claims of missions, you will then beat the boards, and 
manifest so much life and cheerfulness, that not one of 
you will be seen to take up a note-book, nor any other 
book, while the speaker shall be addressing you. A 
Welshman might suppose, by hearing your noise, that 
he had been silently conveyed to the midst of one of the 
meetings of the 'Welsh jumpers,' with this difference, 
that you would perceive many more tears shed, and 
hear more 'calves of the lips'* offered up, in the rejoicing 
meetings of Wales. But you will use your heels well on 
such occasions, and a little of your tongues. But even 
in Wales, in certain places — that is, places where the fer- 
vent gales are not enjoyed which fill persons with fear 
and terror and joy in approaching the altar of God — 
you may see, while hearing a sermon, one looking into 
his hymn-book, another into his note-book, and a third 
*Hos. xiv. 2, 



212 Welsh Jumping. 

turning over the leaves of his Bible, as if he were going 
to study a sermon in the sanctuary, instead of attending 
to what is spoken by the preacher as the mouth of God. 
If there is joy and gladness pertaining to many, the 
light of God's countenance in the sanctuary should de- 
velop it; until a fire is kindled, and he speak with his 
tongue, making melody unto the Lord in his heart, and 
praising Him with his lips. 

"5. It is vain to urge objections against these pow- 
erful gales of divine influence, and allege that it is under 
the ministry of the illiterate preachers of Wales only 
they are experienced. Harris, Rowlands, and the two 
Williamses were not so, for they had been brought up for 
the established church. Whitefield and Edwards were 
men of education, and they preached the doctrine which 
in England is considered evangelical. 

"6. It is also beside the point to affirm that only per- 
sons of no weight, that is, ignorant boys and girls, are in 
the habit of thus rejoicing and praising God in his tem- 
ple ; for it is certain that those who express their joy in 
this manner possess so much sound experimental knowl- 
edge, as to make them eminent in that respect. I have 
listened to many of them in the midst of their enjoy- 
ment, and have often been delighted while they repeated 
true, evangelical, and substantial stanzas, replete with 
profound sentiment; for in such seasons, they could find 
out the very best, which made impressions on their mem- 
ories; and these rapturous feelings developed them 
as if the tongue were moved by the heat and force of the 
fire within. And many other things of an evangelical 
and gracious character they will utter on these joyful 
occasions, with such heavenly eloquence as would be 
inimitable, and impracticable even for themselves to 
utter with the same effect, without enjoying these melt- 
ings of spirit. This enjoyment is accompanied by many 



Welsh Jumping. 213 

tears and much tenderness of heart; nor are persons of 
a dry spirit and hard heart ever regarded as fit subjects 
for this work of praise, in these blessed seasons of Chris- 
tian enjoyment. It does not accord with any, but with 
him whose heart melts like wax, and runs in the form 
and mould of the Gospel. 

"7. There is no way in which churches or particular 
persons may enjoy this heavenly ecstacy, but by walking 
with God, and a spirit of watchfulness and prayer, which 
shows its pure and holy character. It awakens watch- 
fulness against all evil jumpers, improper expressions, 
and wicked actions, lest the cause of it should be lost. 
Such a frame of mind cannot be expected by living in 
sin. These individuals come to the house of God with 
an earnest desire for this enjoyment, and dreading lest 
there should be something in them which would cause 
God to deny them this unspeakable privilege. It is an 
exceedingly easy matter for a minister to manage a 
congregation, while Christian enjoyment keeps them 
near to God. They are diligent and zealous, and ready 
for every good work. But it is very easy to offend this 
joyous spirit — or give it what name you please, enthusi- 
asm, religious madness, or Welsh jumping, (its English 
name,) — and make it hide itself. A quarrel and dis- 
agreement in the church will occasion it to withdraw im- 
mediately. Indulging in sin, in word or deed, will 
soon put it to flight. It is like unto the angel formerly, 
who could not behold the sin of Israel without hiding 
himself; so is the angel of the religious life in Wales, 
which proves him to be a holy angel, though he has the 
name of a 'Welsh jumper.' My prayer is, that this 
angel be a guard upon every congregation, and that none 
should do anything to offend him. It is an exceedingly 
powerful assistant to accompany us through the wilder- 
ness. But the individual that has not felt its happy 



214 Welsh Jumping. 

influences, has nothing to lose; hence he does not dread 
a dry meeting and a hard prayer, for they are all the 
same to him; but the people of this enjoyment pray 
before prayer, and before hearing, that they may meet 
with God in them. 

"8. The seasons when these blessings are vouch- 
safed to the churches of Wales, are to be noticed. It 
is generally at a time when the cause of religion is at 
a low ebb — all gone to slumber. This happy spirit of 
enjoyment, like the angel of the pillar of fire, appears 
when there is distress, and everything at the worst. 
Its approach to the congregation is like the glory of 
God returning to the temple of old; it creates a stir 
among the brethren, — they have a new prayer, and a 
new spirit given them to worship God. They will lay 
hold of another, — some new strength and light will 
appear in the pulpit, until it will be imagined that 
the preacher's voice is altered, and that his spirit is 
become more evangelical, and that he preaches with 
a more excellent savor than usual. Tenderness will 
descend upon the members, and it will be seen that 
Mr. Wet-eyes and Mr. Amen have taken their places 
among them. The heavenly gale will reach some of 
the old backsliders, and they are brought with weeping 
to seek their forfeited privilege. By this time the 
sound of Almighty God will be heard in the outer court, 
beginning to move the hearers like a mighty wind shaking 
the forest. In these seasons of refreshment from the 
presence of the Lord some churches will receive, in the 
course of a year, addition of one hundred, others a 
hundred and fifty, and some others upwards of two 
hundred new members. Sometimes, the gale seems 
as if it blew upon the outer court — upon the hearers, and 
the young people from ten to fifteen years of age — when 
nothing extraordinary appears in the light and effect of 



Welsh Jumping. 215 

the ministry, nor in the church; but afterwards making 
its way through the outer court to rouse the inner court, 
until a great concern is awakened for the state of the 
soul. But observe: The revival that begins in the 
church, and proceeds from thence to the world, and not 
that which commences outside of the church, is more 
frequent, and more efficient in its converts, for the pangs 
of labor are to begin in Zion. 

"9. Again, it may be remarked that the happy effects 
which follow these powerful revivals, evince their nature. 
They are certain, where they are strong, to bend the oats 
of Bashan — men of strong and sturdy minds, and haughty 
hearts — to attend the ministry of the word. They will 
bring all the ships of Tarshish, the merchants of this 
world, into the harbor of hearing. The power of the 
day of the Lord will raze all the walls of bigotry to the 
foundations. The thoughts of eternal realities, and the 
spirit of worship, are by these blessings diffused abroad, 
and family worship is established in scores of families, 
where a few months before no regard was had unto it. 
The door of such district, thus opened by the powers of 
the world to come, shall not be closed against the hearers 
of the Gospel, until a goodly number of souls are there 
converted unto God. Where the living waters flow, 
dead fish are made alive by its virtues. 

"10. Since the first appearing of these gracious gifts 
at Llangeitho, under the ministry of Mr. Rowlands, 
they have been showers of blessings, which are pour- 
ed down on the congregations of the Baptists and Con- 
gregationalists as well as the Calvinistic Methodists; 
and sometimes one of these denominations is favored 
with them, whilst others are destitute. These re- 
freshing seasons were, at times, experienced in a very 
powerful manner at Llangeitho, for about fifty years; 
that is, all the period of Mr, Rowlands' ministrations 



216 Comments by Author. 

in that church. About two thousand persons assembled 
there for communion once a month, from the several 
counties of Wales, even in winter, and about three 
thousand in the summer season; which rendered it the 
most extraordinary place in Europe; and, beyond a 
doubt, hundreds of those who assembled there, on such 
occasions, are now in heaven singing the new song. 
If to live on the merits of Christ, to fear God, and praise 
him, and lead a sober and righteous life, is an evidence 
of a godly state, then this was visible at that time at 
Llangeitho." — Pages 42-49. 

We have conversed with aged Welsh Baptist saints, 
who said they had witnessed hundreds of men and 
women, leaping as does upon the mountains, and 
shouting at the top of their voices, under the preaching 
of Mr. Evans. All Wales was in mourning when he died, 
and entered the land where there is no scorner to curl 
his lip and point his finger. O, that the Baptists of the 
present day in America had such men, — aye, and the 
Methodists, too. 

Farewell, Christmas, till we meet thee where we 
shall see as we are seen. Then the great Oculist will 
open our eyes, and, with Milton, and thousands who 
cannot see the beauties of nature, we shall gaze on Him 
who both redeemed us and washed us in his blood, and 
shall sing with the throng gathered from every kindred, 
tongue and nation. Amen! Hallelujah! 



Chapter XXXVIII. — Views of Jonathan Edwards. 

Having made a short running call on Christmas Evans, 
and the Welsh Jumpers, we will knock at the door of 
Rev. Jonathan Edwards, a New England Congregation- 



Extracts and Comments. 217 

alist, and one of the great lights of Calvinism. We 
perceive his latch string is invitingly hung out. We have 
just got through reading his work on Revivals, about 
the size of the book we are now making ; and as we begin 
to make extracts we feel like throwing in the whole book. 
We feel like casting out only his doctrine of election and 
reprobation, and the doctrine that it is impossible for 
the saints to miss heaven, whether they desire to go 
there or not. His portraiture of a saint is drawn to 
life. We should think from his writings that he dipped 
his pen in the ink-horn of a high and holy Christian 
experience. He endorses the doctrine of this little 
book in regard to outward demonstrations of the Spirit. 
He goes for the ground and lofty tumbling of the 
saints, and for firing by platoons, and broadsides; he 
would meet the Devil rough-and-tumble on his own 
battle ground. 

He is so much ahead of us, and many of our Meth- 
odist friends, that we are left in the shade. But the 
reader will be prepared for the earthquake power that 
shook the five New England states, after following 
Wesley into so many battle fields, and hearing the 
groans and outcries of those in whom the old Adam 
was dying, and the shouts of victors. 

Mr. Edwards was a Joshua, elect and sanctified, to 
lead on the sacramental host. The mighty walls of 
many a Jericho fell before him, as he sounded the Gospel 
trumpet. Giants were as grasshoppers. Oh! Lord, 
raise up an army of such men to fill all the Calvinistic 
pulpits in our land. Amen! 

In his book, Mr. Edwards frequently refers to such 
outward demonstrations as groaning, screaming, laugh- 
ing, shouting, and falling. While these manifestations 
were occurring under his own labors, the porcupine 
quills of his brethren were constantly darted at him; 



218 Extracts and Comments. 

but the Almighty shielded him, and the quills fell 
harmless at his feet. To these scoffers he speaks in 
earnest warning. He maintains that it is a great error 
to judge of the work of the Spirit a priori; but that 
we should observe the "effect wrought, and if, upon 
examination of it, it be found to be agreeable to the 
word of God, we are bound without more ado, to rest in 
it as God's work; and shall be like to be rebuked for our 
arrogance, if we refuse so to do till God explains to us how 
he has brought this effect, or why he has made use of 
such and such means in doing it." Page 107, 108. 

It will be remembered that Mr. Wesley speaks dis- 
paragingly of the Welsh Jumpers, and French prophets, 
and as we think without foundation. We have given 
a chapter on Welsh Jumping ; we will now give President 
Edwards' view of the Frenchmen: 

"The same author in the preceding page informs 
of many in France that were so wonderfully affected 
with the preaching of the Gospel, in the time of those 
famous divines, Farel and Viret, that for a time they 
could not follow their secular business; and p. 186, 
of many in Ireland, in a time of the great outpouring 
of the Spirit there, in the year 1628, that were so filled 
with divine comforts and a sense of God, that they 
made but little use of either meat, drink, or sleep, and 
professed that they did not feel the need thereof." — 
Page 128. 

Thank God ! salvation is the same to a Frenchman or 
Irishman, as to a Yankee. Moses was forty days on the 
Mount with God, no doubt without food. And it seems 
in this instance that men, women and children were so 
charmed with the preaching of Christ, that they scarcely 
felt the need of food. Body as well as soul seemed to 
be fed by the precious doctrines of the Cross. 



Extracts and Comments. 219 

Mr. Edwards continues on page 158: 

"And now let us consider — is it not strange that in 
a Christian, orthodox country, and such a land of light 
as this is, there should be so many at a loss whose work 
this is, whether the work of God or the work of the 
devil? Is it not a shame to New England that such 
a work should be much doubted of here? Need we 
look over the histories of all past times, to see if there 
be not some circumstances and external appearances 
that attend this work, that have been formerly found 
amongst enthusiasts? Whether the Mountainsts had 
not great transports of joy, and whether the French 
Prophets had not agitations of body ? Blessed be God ! 
he does not put us to the toil of such inquiries. We 
need not say, Who shall ascend into heaven to bring 
us down something whereby to judge of this work? 
Nor does God send us beyond the seas, nor into past 
ages, to obtain a rule that shall determine and satisfy 
us. But we have a rule near at hand — a sacred book 
that God himself has put into our hands, with clear 
and infallible marks sufficient to resolve us in things 
of this nature; which book I think we must reject, 
not only in some particular passages, but in the sub- 
stance of it, if we reject such a work as has now been 
described, as not being the work of God. The whole 
tenor of the Gospel proves it; all the idea of religion 
that the Scripture gives us confirms it." 

We agree with President Edwards, that we need 
not go to distant lands to find rock to stand upon, 
and rear our little edifice; neither shall we be at a loss 
for a cap-stone to be brought forth with shoutings 
of grace, grace unto it. The old family Bible is the 
noisiest book in the world, and mortals are now living 
in the most quiet spot they will ever inherit. 



220 Extracts and Comments. 

We will conclude this chapter with another extract, 
which refers to a person, (doubtless Mrs. Edwards, a 
woman of uncommon endowments and excellence,) 
who was truly sanctified, and lived in the land of Beulah, 
leaping sometimes on the mountain tops, at other 
times measuring swords with the Prince of darkness 
in some Gethsemane. 

"I have been particularly acquainted with many 
persons that have been the subjects of the high and 
extraordinary transports of the present day; and in 
the 'highest transports of any of the instances that I 
have been acquainted with, and where the affections 
of admiration, love and joy, so far as another could 
judge, have been raised to a higher pitch than in any 
other instance I have observed or been informed of, 
the following things have been united, namely: 

A very frequent dwelling, for some considerable 
time together, in such views of the glory of the divine 
perfections and Christ's excellencies, that the soul in 
the mean time has been as it were perfectly over- 
whelmed and swallowed up with light and love, and 
a sweet solace, rest and joy of soul that was altogether 
unspeakable; and more than once continuing for five 
or six hours together without interruption in that 
clear and lively view or sense of the infinite beauty 
and amiableness of Christ's person, and the heavenly 
sweetness of his excellent and transcendent love; so 
that (to use the person's own expressions) the soul 
remained in a kind of heavenly elysium, and did as it 
were swim in the rays of Christ's love, like a little mote 
swimming in the beams of the sun or streams of his light 
that come in at a window ; and the heart was swallowed 
up in a glow of Christ's love coming down from Christ's 
heart in heaven as a constant stream of sweet light, at 
the same time the soul was all flowing out in love to him; 



Extracts and Comments. 221 

so that there seemed to be a constant flowing and reflow- 
ing from heart to heart. The soul dwelt on high, and 
was lost in God, and seemed almost to leave the body; 
dwelling on a pure delight that fed and satisfied the soul ; 
enjoying pleasure without the least sting or interruption ; 
a sweetness that the soul was lost in; so that (so far as 
the judgment and word of a person of discretion may 
be taken, speaking upon the most deliberate consid- 
eration) what was enjoyed in each single minute of 
the whole space, which was many hours, was undoubt- 
edly worth more than all the outward comfort and 
pleasure of the whole life put together; and this with- 
out being in any trance, or being at all deprived of 
the exercise of the bodily senses; and the like heavenly 
delight and unspeakable joy of soul, enjoyed from 
time to time for years together; though not frequently 
so long together, to such a height; extraordinary views 
of divine things and religious affections being frequently 
attended with great effects on the body, nature often 
sinking under the weight of divine discoveries, the 
strength of the body taken away, so as to deprive of all 
ability to stand or speak ; sometimes the hands clinched 
and the flesh cold, but sense still remaining; animal 
nature often in a great emotion and agitation, and the 
soul very often, of late, so overcome with great admira- 
tion and a kind of omnipotent joy, as to cause the person 
(wholly unavoidably) to leap with all the might, with 
joy and mighty exultation of soul; the soul at the same 
time being so strongly drawn towards God and Christ 
in heaven, that it seemed to the person as though soul 
and body would, as it were of themselves, of necessity 
mount up, leave the earth and ascend thither. 

These effects on the body did not begin now in this 
wonderful season, that they should be owing to the in- 
fluence of the example of the times, but about seven 



222 Extract and Comments. 

years ago; and began in a much higher degree and 
greater frequency, near three years ago, when there 
was no such enthusiastical season, as many account 
this, but it was a very dead time through the land; 
they arose from no distemper catched from Mr. White- 
field or Mr. Tennent, because they began before either 
of them came into the country; they began, as I said, 
near three years ago, in a great increase, upon an ex- 
traordinary self-dedication, and renunciation of the 
world, and resignation of all to God, made in a great 
view of God's excellency, and high exercise of love 
to him, and rest and joy in him; since which time they 
have been very frequent. They began in a yet higher 
degree and greater frequency about a year and a half 
ago, upon another new resignation of all to God, with a 
yet greater frequency and delight of soul; since which 
time the body has been very often fainting with the 
love of Christ ; and they began in a much higher degree 
still, the last winter, upon another resignation and 
acceptance of God as the only portion and happiness 
of the soul, wherein the whole world, with the dearest 
enjoyments in it, were renounced as dirt and dung, and 
all that is pleasant and glorious, and all that is terrible 
in this world, seemed perfectly to vanish to nothing, 
and nothing to be left but God, in whom the soul was 
perfectly swallowed up, as in an infinite ocean of blessed- 
ness; since which time there have often been great 
agitations of body and an unavoidable leaping for joy; 
and the soul as it were dwelling, almost without inter- 
ruption, in a kind of paradise; and very often, in high 
transports, disposed to speak of those great and glorious 
things of God and Christ and the eternal world that are 
in view, to others that are present, in a most earnest 
manner and with a loud voice, so that it is next 
to impossible to avoid it; these effects on the body 



Extracts and Comments. 223 

not arising from any bodily disease or weakness, the 
most distinguished of all having been in a good state 
of health. 

This great rejoicing has been a rejoicing with trem- 
bling, that is, attended with a deep and lively sense of 
the greatness and majesty of God, and the person's 
own exceeding littleness and vileness; spiritual joys 
in this person never were attended, either formerly 
or lately, with the least appearance of any laughter 
or lightness of countenance or manner of speaking; 
but with a peculiar abhorrence of such appearances 
in spiritual rejoicings, especially since joys have been 
greatest of all; these high transports when they have 
been past, have had abiding effects in the increase of 
the sweetness, rest and humility that they have left 
upon the soul; and a new engagedness of heart to live 
to God's honor, and watch and fight against sin. And 
these things not in one that is in a giddy age of youth, 
nor in a new convert and unexperienced Christian, but 
in one that was converted above twenty-seven years 
ago ; and neither converted nor educated in that enthusi- 
astical town of Northampton, (as some may be ready to 
call it,) but in a town and family that none that I know 
of suspected of enthusiasm; and in a Christian that has 
been long, in an uncommon manner, growing in grace, 
and rising, by very sensible degrees, to higher love to 
God, and weanedness from the world, and a mastery over 
sin and temptation, through great trials and conflicts, 
and long-continued struggling and fighting with sin, and 
earnest and constant prayer and labor in religion, and 
engagedness of mind in the use of all means, attended 
with a great exactness of life; which growth has been 
attended not only with a great increase of religious 
affections, but with a wonderful alteration of outward 
behavior, in many things visible to those who are most 



224 Extracts and Comments. 

intimately acquainted, so as lately to have become 
as it were a new person; and particularly in living 
so much above the world, and in a greater degree of 
steadfastness and strength, in the way of duty and 
self-denial, maintaining the christian conflict against 
temptations, and conquering from time to time under 
great trials; persisting in an unmoved, untouched 
calm and rest, under the changes and accidents of 
time." — Page 160-164. 



Chapter XXXIX. — Views of Edwards Continued. 

We continue our extracts from Edwards. He main- 
tains that the work, accompanied by such extraordinary 
manifestations, was not only great, but glorious. 

"Now if such things are enthusiasm, and the fruits 
of a distempered brain, let my brain be evermore pos- 
sessed of that happy distemper! If this be distraction, 
I pray God that the world of mankind may be all 
seized with this benign, meek, beneficent, beautifical, 
glorious distraction ! If agitations of body were found 
in the French prophets, and ten thousand prophets 
more, it is little to their purpose who bring it as an 
objection against such a work as this, unless their pur- 
pose be to disprove the whole of the Christian religion. 
The great affections and high transports that others 
have lately been under, are in general of the same 
kind with those in the instance that has been given, 
though not to so high a degree, and many of them 
not so pure and unmixed and so well regulated. I 
have had opportunity to observe many instances 
here and elsewhere; and though there are some in- 
stances of great affections in which there has been a 



Extracts and Comments. 225 

great mixture of nature with grace, and in some a sad 
degenerating of religious affections; yet there is such 
uniformity observable, that it is easy to be seen that 
in general it is the same Spirit from whence the work 
in all parts of the land has originated. 

"And what notions have they of religion who reject 
what has been described as not true religion? What 
shall we find to answer those expressions in Scripture: 
'The peace of God that passeth all understanding; re- 
joicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory, in be- 
lieving and loving an unseen Savior; all joy and peace 
in believing; God's shining into our hearts, to give 
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the 
face of Jesus Christ; with open face beholding, as in 
a glass, the glory of the Lord, and being changed into 
the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the 
Spirit of the Lord, having the love of God shed abroad 
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost given to us; having 
the Spirit of God and of glory rest upon us; a being 
called out of darkness into marvelous light; and having 
the day-star arise in our hearts;' I say, if these things 
that have been mentioned do not answer these expres- 
sions, what else can we find out that does answer them? 
Those that do not think such things as these to be the 
fruits of the true Spirit, would do well to consider what 
kind of spirit they are waiting and praying for, and 
what sort of fruits they expect he should produce when 
he comes." — Pages 174-175. 

What do you say to all this, my Presbyterian brother 
or sister? This is the cream of the Gospel in earnest. 
Are you waiting for a better boat to touch at your 
wharf before you purchase your tickets ? Pharisees call 
your steamer fanaticism, and say that its steam is got up 
by wild fire; but we call her Old Ship Zion, and believe 
her steam is generated by the fires of the Holy Ghost. 



226 Extracts and Comments. 

Millions has she landed on the other shore, and millions 
more are on the way ; so let us sing, 

" I've launched my bark for glory, 
I've left the world behind, 
Determined for a harbor 
That's out of sight to find. 

"Especially should all Israel be gathered after their 
Captain, as we read they were after Ehud, when he 
blew the trumpet in Mount Ephraim when he had 
slain Eglon, king of Moab. Judg. iii : 27, 28. How 
severe is the martial law in such a case, when any 
one of an army refuses to obey the sound of a trumpet 
and follow his general to battle! God at such a time 
appears in peculiar manifestations of his glory; and 
therefore not to be affected and inimated, and to lie still 
and refuse to follow God, will be resented as a high 
contempt of him. If a subject should stand by and 
be a spectator of the solemnity of his prince's coronation, 
and should appear silent and sullen when all the multi- 
tude were testifying their loyalty and joy with loud 
acclamations; how greatly would he expose himself 
to be treated as a rebel, and quickly to perish by the 
authority of the prince that he refuses to honor! 

"At a time when God manifests himself in such a 
great work of his church, there is no such thing as 
being neutral; there is a necessity of being either for 
or against the King that then gloriously appears. As 
when a king is crowned, and there are public manifesta- 
tions of joy on that occasion, there is no such thing 
as standing by as an indifferent spectator; all must 
appear as loyal subjects, and express their joy on that 
occasion, or be accounted enemies : so it always is when 
God, in any great dispensation of his providence, does 
remarkably set his King on his holy hill of Zion, and 



Extracts and Comments. 227 

Christ in an extraordinary manner comes down from 
heaven to earth, and appears in his visible church 
in a great work of salvation for his people. So it was 
when Christ came down from heaven in his incarna- 
tion, and appeared on earth in his human presence; 
there was no such thing as being neutral — neither on 
his side nor against him: those that sat still and said 
nothing, and did not declare for him, and come and 
join with him, after he, by his word and works, had 
given sufficient evidence who he was, were justly looked 
upon as his enemies; as Christ says, Matt, xii : 30, 
'He that is not with me is against me; and he that 
gathereth not with me, scattereth abroad.' So it is in 
a time when Christ is remarkably present spiritually, 
as well as when he is present bodily; and when he 
comes to carry on the work of redemption in the 
application of it, as well as in the revelation and 
purchase. 

"If a king should come into one of his provinces 
that had been oppressed by its foes, where some of his 
subjects had fallen off to the enemy and joined them 
against their lawful sovereign and his lawful subjects; 
I say, if the lawful sovereign himself should come into 
the province, and should ride forth there against his 
enemies, and should call upon all that were on his 
side to come and gather themselves to him ; there would 
be no such thing, in such a case, as standing neutral: 
they that lay still and staid at a distance would un- 
doubtedly be looked upon and treated as rebels. So in 
the day of battle, when two armies join, there is no such 
thing for the present as being of neither party — all must 
be on one side or the other ; and they that are not found 
with the conqueror in such a case, must expect to have 
his weapons turned against them, and to fall with the 
rest of his enemies." — Pages 184-185. 



228 Extracts and Comments. 

"Great care should be taken that the press should 
be improved to no purpose contrary to the interests of 
this work. We read that when God fought against 
Sisera for the deliverance of his oppressed church, 
they that handle the pen of the writer came to the help 
of the Lord in that affair. Judges v : 14. Whatever 
class of men in Israel they were that were intended, 
yet, as the words were indicted by a Spirit that had 
a perfect view of all events to the end of the world 
and had a special eye in this song to that great event 
of the deliverance of God's church from persecution, 
of which this deliverance of Israel was a type, it is not 
unlikely that they have respect to authors, those that 
should fight against the kingdom of Satan with their 
pens. Those, therefore, that publish pamphlets to the 
disadvantage of this work, and tending either directly 
or indirectly to bring it under suspicion, and to dis- 
courage or hinder it, would do well thoroughly to con- 
sider whether this be not indeed the work of God; and 
whether, if it be, it is not likely that God will go forth 
as fire to consume all that stand in his way, and so burn 
up those pamphlets; and whether there be not danger 
that the fire that is kindled in them will scorch the 
authors." — Pages 231-232. 

There is no more responsible position assumed than 
that of an author. The printing press is constantly 
sending out a stream of salvation or damnation. Tom 
Paine might have preached a hundred years, aye, a 
thousand, without raising the dark wave of infidelity 
as high as his books have done. John Bunyan has 
done more to win souls to Christ with his quill, than 
the most flaming minister ever did merely by his preach- 
ing. Both Paine and Bunyan will continue to speak 
unto the end of time. After we are cut down by the 
sharp sickle, and our soul safely landed in heaven, this, 



Extracts and Comments. 229 

and other publications of ours, will be read by thou- 
sands and tens of thousands yet unborn. We have 
written every chapter after rising from our knees, ex- 
pecting to give an account in the judgment. A person 
who could make a comet and send it on a circuit of a 
hundred years, would be renowned in history; but 
what is such a person compared with one who binds up 
a golden thought in a book, and sends it on wings of 
light and mercy to fireside circles, where the sons and 
daughters of a fallen race, read it after the author is 
sleeping in the grave! 



Chapter XL. — Views of Edwards Continued. 

We now extract a few words for croakers : 
'Who loves in a day of great joy and gladness to 
be much insisting on those things that are uncomfort- 
able? Would it not be very improper, on a king's 
coronation day, to be much in taking notice of the 
blemishes of the royal family? Or would it be agree- 
able to the bridegroom on the day of his espousals, the 
day of the gladness of his heart, to be much insisting on 
the blemishes of his bride? We have an account how 
that, at the time of that joyful dispensation of Provi- 
dence, the restoration of the church of Israel after the 
Babylonish captivity, and at the time of the feast of tab- 
ernacles, many wept at the faults that were found amongst 
the people, but were reproved for taking so much notice 
of the blemishes of that affair as to overlook the cause 
of rejoicing. Neh. viii.: 9-12, 'And Nehemiah, which 
is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest, the scribe, and the 
Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, 
this day is holy unto the Lord your God, mourn not nor 



230 Extracts and Comments. 

weep ; for all the people wept when they heard the words 
of the law. Then he said unto them, go your way, eat 
the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them 
for whom nothing is prepared ; for this day is holy unto 
our Lord; neither be ye sorry, for the joy of the Lord- 
is your strength. So the Levites stilled all the people, 
saying, hold your peace, for the day is holy, neither be 
ye grieved. And all the people went their way, to eat, 
and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great 
mirth, because they had understood the words that were 
declared unto them. 

"God doubtless now expects that all classes of per- 
sons in New England, rulers, ministers and people, high 
and low, rich and poor, old and young, should take great 
notice of his hand in this mighty work of his grace, and 
should appear to acknowledge his glory in it, and greatly 
to rejoice in it, every one doing his utmost in the place 
that God has set them to promote it. And God, accord- 
ing to his wonderful patience, seems to be still ? waiting 
to give us opportunity thus to acknowledge and honor 
him. But if we finally refuse, there is not the least rea- 
son to expect any other than that his awful curse will 
pursue us, and that the pourings out of his wrath will 
be proportionable to the despised outpourings of his 
Spirit and grace: — Pages 234-235. 

Two men went into a king's flower garden ; one of 
them intent on gathering a rich bouquet from the nu- 
merous varieties of flowers, to present to the king; the 
other, insisting that there were spiders in the garden, 
was intent on finding them. The spider hunter passed 
indifferently all the flower beds. He saw no beauty 
and was delighted with no pleasant odors. On he 
went, searching every dark corner of the garden for 
spiders. Soon the two men returned; one with a fra- 
grant bouquet in his hand, and his garments emitting 



Light Without Heat. 231 

the odor of flowers, the other covered with spider-webs. 
Which will the king be most likely to admit to his au- 
dience chamber? And which will the King of kings 
be most pleased with, a man whose heart emits the 
odor of true charity and piety; or one whose soul is 
covered with the cobwebs of a censorious spirit? The 
raven that left Noah's ark could find a resting place on 
the floating carcass of a horse or his rider; but the dove 
would sicken at the sight, and on weary wing return to 
the ark. So with the true Christians. They find enough 
in Jesus to satisfy their souls. They say like David, He 
has spread a table before me in the presence of mine 
enemies, my cup runneth over. Amen! 

Another extract on the question whether light without 
heat is sufficient: 

"I should think myself in the way of my duty to 
raise the affections of my hearers as high as I possibly 
can, provided that they are affected with nothing but 
truth, and with affections that arc not disagreeable to 
the nature of what they are affected with. I know it 
has long been fashionable to despise a very earnest 
and pathetical way of preaching; and they, and they 
only, have been valued as preachers, that have shown 
the greatest extent of learning, and strength of reason, 
and correctness of method and language ; but I humbly 
conceive it has been for want of understanding or duly 
considering human nature that such preaching has been 
thought to have the greatest tendency to answer the 
ends of preaching ; and the experience of the present and 
past ages abundantly confirms the same. 

"Though, as I said before, clearness of distinction 
and illustration, and strength of reason, and a good 
method in the doctrinal handling of the truths of reli- 
gion, is many ways needful and profitable and not to 
be neglected, yet an increase in speculative knowledge 



232 Extracts and Comments. 

in divinity is not what is so much needed by our peo- 
ple as something else. Men may abound in this sort 
of light and have no heat. How much has there been 
of this sort of knowledge in the Christian world in this 
age! Was there ever an age wherein strength and 
penetration of reason, extent of learning, exactness of 
distinction, correctness of style, and clearness of ex- 
pression did so abound? And yet was there ever an 
age wherein there has been so little sense of the evil of 
sin, so little love to God, heavenly-mindedness and 
holiness of life among the professors of true religion? 
Our people do not so much need to have their heads 
stored as to have their hearts touched ; and they stand 
in the greatest need of that sort of preaching that 
has the greatest tendency to do this." — Pages 241- 
242. 

Reader, go with us to the garden of Eden. There 
lies a piece of machinery fearfully and wonderfully 
made. It is a man; oh, no! it is a lump of clay. No 
pulse beating — no heart throbbing. It is, in form, 
like a man; but there is no life, no motion. How like 
many sermons! Beautifully squared up — orthodox to 
a hair's breadth. But God has not breathed into them. 
They are regular refrigerators. They freeze the sweet 
cream of pure, zealous piety. But God breathed into 
Adam and warmed him into life; and so does he some- 
times breathe new life into cold, formal sermons. He 
will give inspiration to every word, and prayer, and song. 
The letter alone killeth; but clothed by the Spirit with 
thunder and lightning, and accompanied by gracious 
showers, it gives life, and renders fruitful the most bar- 
ren soil. On a mountain crested with everlasting snow 
is a cave, where hundreds of men, women and children 
were frozen, with their eyes open, and the rose upon the 
cheek. A fair representation of many congregations 



Extracts and Comments. 233 

listening to a dead-letter preacher, who was baptized, 
not at Jerusalem, but at Athens — 

"Athens' owl and not Mount Zion's dove — 
The bird of learning, not the bird of love." 

"Another thing wherein I think some ministers have 
been injured, is in being very much blamed for making 
to much of outcries, faintings, and other bodily effects; 
speaking of them as tokens of the presence of God and 
arguments of the success of preaching, seeming to strive 
to their utmost to bring a congregation to that state, 
and seeming to rejoice in it, yea, even blessing God for 
it when they see these effects. 

"Concerning this I would observe, in the first place, 
that there are many things with respect to cryings 
out, falling down, etc., that are charged on ministers, 
which they are not guilty of. Some would have it 
that they speak of these things as certain evidences 
of a work of the Spirit of God on the hearts of their 
hearers, or that they esteem these bodily effects them- 
selves to be the work of God, as though the Spirit of 
God took hold of and agitated the bodies of men; and 
some are charged with making these things essential 
and supposing that persons cannot be converted without 
them; whereas I never yet could see the person that 
held either of these things. 

"But for speaking of such effects as probable tokens 
of God's presence, and arguments of the success of 
preaching, it seems to me that they are not to be blamed , 
because I think they are so indeed; and therefore when 
I see them excited by preaching the important truths of 
God's word, urged and enforced by proper arguments 
and motives, or as consequent on other means that are 
good, I do not scruple to speak of them, and to rejoice 



234 Extracts and Comments. 

in them, and bless God for them as such; and that for 
this (as I think) good reason, namely, that from time 
to time, upon proper inquiry, and examination, and 
observation of the consequences and fruits, I have found 
that these are all evidences that persons in whom these 
effects appear are under the influence of God's Spirit 
in such cases. Cryings out, in such a manner and with 
such circumstances as I have seen them from time to 
time, is as much an evidence to me of the general cause 
it proceeds from as language: I have learned the mean- 
ing of it, the same way that persons learn the meaning 
of language, by use and experience." — Pages 258-259. 

There are two things worthy of notice in the above 
extract. It is a common saying among many opposers 
of the work, that the ministers whom God honors with 
great revivals entertain the idea that none are truly 
converted, who are not the subjects of peculiar exer- 
cises. It is a lie. We have yet to find a minister or 
layman who holds such a doctrine. Take warning, 
scoffers; you know the destiny of all liars. We are 
glad to see Bro. Edwards throw his own experience in 
the scale. All those outward demonstrations he under- 
stands. How unlike our friend in a former chapter. 
He could not understand a shout unless words were 
articulated. Perhaps a box of Fetter- Lane pills would 
do him good and bring him around right. True, they 
are not sugar-coated, not very pleasant to take, hard to 
get down, especially for a minister with a long handle 
on the end of his name. 

"It is said by some that the people that are the sub- 
jects of this work, when they get together, talking loud 
and earnestly in their pretended great joys, several in 
a room talking at the same time, make a noise just 
like a company of drunken persons. On which I would 
observe, that it is foretold that God's people should do 



Extracts and Comments. 235 

so, in that forementioned place, Zech. ix: 15-17, of 
which I shall now take more particular notice. The 
words are as follows: 'The Lord of hosts shall defend 
them; and they shall devour and subdue with sling- 
stones ; and they shall drink, and make a noise as through 
wine, and they shall be filled like bowls, and as the cor- 
ners of the altar: and the Lord their God shall save 
them in that day, as the flock of his people; for they 
shall be as the stones of a crown lifted up as an ensign 
upon his land : for how great is his goodness ! and how 
great is his beauty! Corn shall make the young men 
cheerful, and new wine the maids.' The words are very 
remarkable: here it is foretold that at the time when 
Christ shall set up a universal kingdom upon earth, 
(verse 10,) the children of Zion shall drink until they are 
filled like the vessels of the sanctuary ; and if we would 
know what they shall be filled with, the prophecy does 
in effect explain itself: they shall be filled, as the vessels 
of the sanctuary that contained the drink offering, 
which was wine; and yet the words imply that it shall 
not literally be wine that they shall drink and be filled 
with, because it is said they shall drink and make a 
noise as through wine, as if they had drank wine: which 
implies that they had not literally done it ; and therefore 
we must understand the words, they that shall drink 
into that, and be filled with that, which the wine of the 
drink offering represented, or was a type of, which is 
the Holy Spirit, as well as the blood of Christ, that new 
wine that is drunk in our heavenly Father's kingdom: 
they shall be filled with the Spirit, which the apostle 
sets in opposition to a being drunk with wine, Ephesians, 
5: 18. This is the new wine spoken of, verse 17. It is 
the* same with that best wine spoken of in Canticles, 
that goes down sweetly, causing the lips of those that 
are asleep to speak. 



236 Extracts and Comments. 

It is here foretold that the children of Zion, in the 
latter days, should be filled with that which should 
make them cheerful, and cause them to make a noise 
as through wine, and by which these joyful happy 
persons that are thus filled shall be as the stones of a 
crown lifted up as an ensign upon God's land, being 
made joyful in the extraordinary manifestations of the 
beauty and love of Christ; as it follows — How great 
is his goodness! and how great is his beauty! And it 
is further remarkable that it is here foretold that it 
should be thus especially amongst young people: Corn 
shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the 
maids. It would be ridiculous to understand this of 
literal bread and wine: without doubt, the same spirit- 
ual blessings are signified by bread and wine here which 
were represented by Melchizedek's bread and wine, 
and are signified by the bread and wine in the Lord's 
supper. One of the marginal readings is, shall make 
the young men to speak, which is agreeable to that in 
Canticles, of the best wines causing the lips of those 
that are asleep to speak. 

"We ought not to be in any measure like the un- 
believing Jews in Christ's time, who were disgusted 
both with crying out with distress and with joy. When 
the poor blind man cried out before all the multitude, 
Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me, and con- 
tinued incessantly thus doing, the multitude rebuked 
him, and charged him that he should hold his tongue, 
Mark x: 46, 47, 48, and Luke, xviii: 38, 39. They 
looked upon it to be a very indecent noise that he made ; 
a thing very ill becoming him, to cause his voice to be 
heard so much and so loud among the multitude." — 
Pages 264-266. 

Glory to God on high! Bro. Edwards, let the sling 
stones fly; you are a true Benjamite, slinging the 



Extracts and Comments. 237 

stone to a hair's breadth. The devil told the truth 
once. They that assemble themselves together, drink 
the wine, and eat the corn, in the courts of His holi- 
ness. Not one of the outsiders got a sip of the wine 
at the Pentecost prayer meeting. True, the saints 
were charged with making a noise like drunken men. 
But when the new wine is put into new bottles, they 
get into a spot where the wicked one toucheth them 
not. An old Pharisee would blow up in three min- 
utes if he were filled with new wine. The Rev. Mr. 
Caughey, a modern Edwards, says that he can suck 
fire out of the above-mentioned text. We remember 
trying to preach from it on the last night of the last 
Bergen-camp meeting, where thousands were eating 
the honey, and drinking the wine at the same time. 
The Lord of hosts let slip many barbed arrows; the 
stones flew from the slings of the little Davids ; and many 
made a noise as through wine. 

But we must bid good-bye to Bro. Edwards. The 
more we talk with him, the better we like him. O, 
Lord! fill the world with just such preachers. The 
doctrine of election and the perseverance of the saints 
will come out right. We are tempted to quote another 
extract, a picture of a minister who tried to pray, and 
preach, and talk to mourners, destitute of religion him- 
self. But it is such an awful looking spider cancer that 
we turn away from it, and enquire for Father Abbott 
whom we promised to call upon. Farewell, Bro. Ed- 
wards, till we meet in the judgment. 



238 Abbott's Conviction. 



Chapter XLI. — Benjamin Abbott. 

We laid out our book at first for about two hundred 
and thirty pages, with many doubts as to whether we 
should find material to spread over them; but we are 
one hundred pages in advance of our prescribed limits, 
and yet the waters deepen. The saints that have long 
slept, as when Christ died, wake up and come forth 
from their tombs, and insist upon having something to 
say upon the subject. But we must take the lightning 
train, or Gabriel may blow before we find a place to lay 
down the pen. 

Well! here comes forth Abbott, a kind of jaw-bone 
in the hands of our spiritual Samson. He was blasted 
out of the mountains somewhere in Pennsylvania, by 
the prayer of his sainted mother, as her feet were in the 
waters of Jordan. We will invite him to stand up and 
tell us a little of his early experience. 

"My mother, when on her death bed, lay sick of a 
nervous complaint about five weeks. In the dead of 
the night before she expired, she cried unto the Lord, 
and besought him to look in mercy upon the family, 
and with a loud voice prayed fervently for us all, which 
caused the spectators to wonder and to cry out, 'Han- 
nah, what is the matter with you?' Next day she 
departed this life. I then pondered these things in my 
heart. 

"In six weeks after, my father took the small pox, 
and departed this life, leaving my grandfather execu- 
tor. In his will he ordered that we should all have 
trades; accordingly I was put to a hatter in Philadel- 
phia, where I soon fell into bad company, and from 
that to card playing, cock fighting, and many other 



Abbott's Conviction. 239 

evil practices. My master and I parted before my 
time was out, and I went into Jersey, and hired with 
one of my brothers, where I wrought at plantation 
work. Some time after this I married; and when I 
got what my father had left me, I rented a farm, and 
followed that business ; but all this time I had no fear 
of God before my eyes, but lived in sin and open rebel- 
lion against God, in drinking, fighting, swearing, gam- 
bling, etc. ; yet I worked hard and got a comfortable 
living for my family. I professed myself a Presby- 
terian, went often to meeting, and many times the Spirit 
of God alarmed my guilty soul of its dangers ; but it as 
often wore off again. 

"Thus I continued in a scene of sin, until the fortieth 
year of my age; yet many were the promises I made, 
during that period, to amend my life, but all to no 
purpose; they were as often broken as made; for as yet 
I never had heard the nature of conviction or conversion ; 
it was a dark time respecting religion, and little or noth- 
ing was ever said about experimental religion ; and to my 
knowledge I never had heard either man or woman say 
that they had the pardoning love of God in their souls, or 
knew their sins were forgiven. My wife was a member 
of the Presbyterian Church, and a praying woman; yet 
at that time she knew nothing about a heart work. 

"About the thirty-third year of my age, I dreamed 
that I died and was carried to hell, which appeared to 
me to be a large place, arched over, containing three 
apartments, with arched doors to go from one apart- 
ment to another. I was brought to the first, when I 
saw nothing but devils and evil spirits, which tormented 
me in such a manner, that my tongue or pen cannot ex- 
press. I cried for mercy, but in vain. There appeared 
to me a light, like a star, at a great distance from me; 
I strove to get to it, but all in vain. Being hurried into 



240 Abbott's Conviction. 

the second apartment, the devils put me into a vice 
and tormented me until my body was all in a gore of 
blood. I cried again for mercy, but still in vain. I 
observed that a light followed me, and I heard one say 
to me, 'How good doth this light appear to you.' I 
was soon hurried into the third apartment, where there 
were scorpions with stings in their tails, fastened in 
sockets at the end thereof; their tails appeared to be 
about a fathom long, and every time they struck me, 
their stings, which appeared an inch and a half in length, 
stuck fast in me, and they roared like thunder. Here 
I was constrained to cry again for mercy. As fast as 
I had pulled out the sting of one, another struck me. 
I was hurried through this apartment to a lake that 
burnetii with fire; it appeared like a flaming furnace, 
and the flames dazzled like the sun. The devils were 
here throwing in the souls of men and women. There 
appeared two regiments of devils moving through the 
arches, blowing up the flames; and when they came to 
the end, one regiment turned to the right and the other 
to the left, and came round the pit, and the screeches 
of the damned were beyond the expression of man. 
When it came to my turn to be thrown in, one devil 
took me by the head and another by the feet, and with 
the surprise I awoke and found it a dream. But 0! 
what horror seized my guilty breast ! I thought I should 
die and be damned. This brought seriousness to my 
mind for about eight or ten days, in which I made many 
promises to mend my life, but they soon wore off again. 
"About five or six weeks after this, I dreamed that 
I died, and was carried into one of the most beautiful 
places I ever saw, and my guide brought me to one of 
the most elegant buildings I ever beheld, and when we 
came to it the gates opened of their own accord, and 
we went straight forward into the building, where we 



Abbott's Conviction. 241 

were met by a campany of the heavenly host, arrayed 
in white raiment down to their feet. We passed on 
through the entry until we came to a door on the right, 
which stood about half open; passing a little forward, 
we made a stand before the door; I looked in, and saw 
the Ancient of Days sitting upon his throne, and all around 
him appeared a dazzling splendor. I stood amazed at 
the sight; one stepped forward to me arrayed in white, 
which I knew to be my wife's mother, and said to me, 
' Benjamin, this place is not for you yet '; so I returned, 
and my guide brought me back. I awoke with amaze 
at what I had seen, and concluded that I should shortly 
die, which brought all my sins before me, and caused 
me to make many promises to God to repent, which 
lasted for some time; but this wore off again, and I went 
to my old practices. One Sabbath day (our minister 
being sick, and my wife being a great meeting body), 
hearing that there was to be a Methodist meeting about 
ten or twelve miles distance, she expressed a desire to 
go to it, and asked my consent; I gave it, and she and 
my oldest son went to hear the man. On their return, 
I asked her how she liked the preacher; she replied, 
that he was as great a preacher as ever she had heard 
in all her life, and persuaded me to go and hear for 
myself. Accordingly on the next Sabbath I went. 
There was a large congregation assembled to hear the 
man; his text was, 'Come unto me, all ye that labor 
and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest' — Matt, 
xi, 28. The preacher was much engaged, and the peo- 
ple were crying all through the house; this greatly sur- 
prised me, for I never had seen the like before. The 
sermon made no impression on me; but when he came 
to the application, he said, ' It may be, that some of you 
may think that there is neither God nor devil, heaven 
nor hell, only a guilty conscience ; and indeed, my friends, 



242 Abbott's Conviction. 

that is bad enough. But,' said he, 'I assure you that 
there is both heaven and hell, God and devil.' I spoke, 
I am the man. But he went on and argued that fire 
was contained in everything, and that there was a 
dreadful hell that was beyond our comprehension, and 
advised the people to fly to Christ for refuge. He then 
showed the reality of the existence of a God, from a 
beautiful illlustration of his works, which were evidenced 
to us daily, and that this God had created the heavens 
and earth. Then he called upon the people to come 
unto God, for Christ had died for their redemption. 
There was much weeping and heavy groaning among 
the people. Meeting being over, the two dreams that 
I had dreamed about seven years before, came as fresh 
into my mind as if dreamed the night before, and that 
God had shown me both heaven and hell, the state of 
the blessed and the damned. This brought me to 
think of my misspent life, and in a moment all my sins 
that I ever had committed were brought to my view; I 
saw it was the mercy of God that I was out of hell, and 
promised to amend my life in future." 

Here, reader, we have the experience of a convict. 
We must pass over much interesting experience of 
trances, and wonderful visions, until we arrive at the 
period of his conversion. He remarks: 

"I then thought upon a particular sin, which I con- 
cluded would condemn me, but in a moment I felt an 
evidence, that that sin was forgiven, as though sepa- 
rated from all the rest that ever I had committed; but 
recollecting the minister had told me that ' I was under 
strong delusions of the devil,' it was suggested to my 
mind, it may be he is right; I went a little out of the 
road, and kneeled down and prayed to God, if I was 
deceived, to undeceive me; and the Lord said to me, 
'Why do you doubt? Is not Christ all-sufficient ? is 



His Conversion. 243 

he not able? have you not felt his blood applied?' I 
then sprang upon my feet, and cried out, not all the 
devils in hell, nor all the predestinarians on earth, 
should make me doubt ; for I knew that I was converted : 
at that instant I was filled with unspeakable raptures 
of joy." 

This is a true conversion. There is great difference 
between being converted to a creed, and being con- 
verted to God. We were converted to the Methodist 
doctrine when only thirteen years old; but we were 
liable any moment to fall into perdition for all that. 
It was not until we were forty-two years old that we 
were born, not of corruptible, but of incorruptible seed. 
We had dreams and visions similar to those Abbott 
experienced; but when converted we were wide awake; 
and shouted victory over the world, the flesh and the 
devil. 

We now reluctantly pass over much that would be 
interesting and appropriate to these pages, to the time 
when God sanctified him wholly. 

"Meeting with one of our preachers, I told him how 
great things the Lord had done for poor me He re- 
plied, it is nothing to what he will do for you, if you 
are faithful, for it is the will of God, even your sanc- 
tification; why, said I, I am happy in God already, 
but if there is such a blessing to be had, I am deter- 
mined to have it, and from that time I began to seek 
for it. In examining, I found in the Bible that it was 
the will of God even our sanctification. I soon hun- 
gerd and thirsted for full salvation. In family prayer, 
one morning, the hand of the Lord came upon me in 
such a manner, that I felt the impression, as though 
one had laid a hand upon me, attended with such power 
that I thought I should die, but unbelief took place, 
and the power withdrew, or I believe that God would 



244 His Sanctification. 

have sanctified me that moment. At night I was afraid 
to pray for such power, for fear that God would kill 
me, therefore my prayer was only lip language; by this 
time I got very dead. However, next night I prayed 
from my very heart, for the power again, live or die, 
and God poured out his spirit upon us all in such a man- 
ner, that the place was glorious because of the presence 
of the Lord, and his dying love filled all our hearts. 
I was now engaged for the blessing more than ever. 
Soon after, D. RufI came upon the circuit, and my house 
being a preaching place, he came and preached, and 
in the morning, in family prayer, he prayed that God 
would come and sanctify us soul and body. I repeated 
these words after him, 'Come, Lord, and sanctify me, 
soul and body!' That moment the Spirit of God came 
upon me in such a manner that I fell flat to the floor, 
and lay as one strangling in blood, while my wife and 
children stood weeping over me. But I had not power 
to lift hand or foot, nor yet to speak one word; I be- 
lieve I lay half an hour, and felt the power of God run- 
ning through every part of my soul and body, like fire 
consuming the inward corruptions of fallen depraved 
nature. When I arose and walked out of the door, and 
stood pondering these things in my heart, it appeared 
to me that the whole creation was praising God; it 
also appeared as if I had got new eyes, for everything 
appeared new, and I felt a love for all the creatures that 
God had made, and an uninterrupted peace filled my 
breast. In three days God gave me a full assurance 
that he had sanctified me, soul and body." 

The reader will permit us to quote our own experi- 
ence of entire sanctification. We have never seen 
any person's experience that agrees so well with ours 
as father Abbott's. Years ago, we related our experi- 
ence thus : 



Our Sanctification. 245 

' ' When a goodly number of Israel were seated around 
the stand, their minds calm as a May morning, and free 
from excitement, Brother Gorham being appointed to 
preach, arose on the stand, and pointed out how and when 
he recovered the blessing of perfect love. He also pointed 
out the dangers that stand thick around to deprive us of 
this jewel. He related his experience so plain, that a 
wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err in under- 
standing the way. He also contrasted justification and 
sanctification; and who is better able to set forth such 
truth than he who has experienced both degrees of grace 
in his heart? and who is more unqualified to judge of 
such things than those who have never experienced 
them? Let us first remove the beam from our own 
eye, before mounting the judgment-seat. While sit- 
ting under the droppings of his words, which fell like 
honey on my soul, all my powers of faith and hope were 
drawn out to God for this blessing. I was enabled to 
lay hold on the very horns of the altar; and, while sit- 
ting in silent invocation, I was seized with a sudden 
trembling and a slight spasm, (as frequently occurs when 
I am filled to overflowing with the Spirit,) and my 
strength was measurably taken away, like the apostle 
Paul, 'whether in the body or out of the body, I knew 
not' ; and I believe, for the first time in my life, I was 
made insensible in my waking moments of what was 
passing around me. There seemed to be presented to 
me, while in this state, literally an altar; and I thought 
I was laid on it as you would lay a child on its 
couch; and while lying in this posture, I thought a voice 
interrogated me thus : ' What do you want this blessing 
for?' I thought I replied, 'To qualify me to preach 
the gospel.' That moment the Holy Ghost, like the 
refiner's fire, seemed to pass through my soul, literally 
shaking me from center to circumference, as if the 



246 Our Sanctification. 

earthly tenement was to be shaken to pieces. During 
the whole process, down to this last-mentioned circum- 
stance, I think I felt little or no joy, but rather the 
contrary. Like Moses, I did exceedingly fear and quake. 
But the moment after I felt this terrible shaking, the 
sun of righteousness broke into my soul with its meridian 
brightness and glory, dispelling every cloud, and all dark- 
ness and doubt. My physical strength returned, and 
I suddenly rose on my feet, and shouted, 'It is done! 
the mighty work is wrought.' What angel can tell the 
happiness and heavenly rapture I then felt ? ' Tis done !' 
I exclaimed." 

Reader, you have read the above experiences; and 
we leave this chapter, we would warn you against pre- 
scribing ways in which, and by means of which, God, 
as you suppose, must bless. The devil will tell you, 
unless you have as great a tornado as Bro. A. or H., 
your experience is vain. You need not, like Saul of 
Tarsus, see a great light, or have a knock-down argu- 
ment. The gentle zephyr, the still small voice, is just 
as good, if it pleases God. Peace is the stream gently 
flowing; joy, a river overflowing its banks, roaring and 
rushing as it rolls on, and leaps over the rapids. 



Chapter XLII. — "Second Blessing." 

Many in our Zion seem to hate, and do ridicule what 
has become a proverb in Methodism, viz. "Second bles- 
sing." They say God does his work perfectly — that 
the soul is entirely cured at the Savior's first touch. 
We refer to two exceptions ; two blind men — one living 
during the Savior's life on earth, the other the author 
of this work. You remember the Savior, after leading 



Two Blind Men. 247 

the blind man out from among the multitude, touched 
his eyes, and he saw, but very imperfectly; he was still 
in the fog; men appeared as trees walking. The great 
occulist then gave him the second touch, or in other 
words, he imparted the second blessing, then he saw 
everything as it was. This is precisely the experience 
of your author. We received the second touch, and 
God sent refining fire through our soul. Amen! Hal- 
leluiah ! 

Many ridicule the term " Second blessing," and say 
we go in for the third, and the fourth, etc. They look 
like dwarfs, not only in religious experience, but in 
theology. Let Wesley rebuke his pretended followers. 
He hesitates not to call entire sanctification the second 
blessing. In his letters he speaks of it too frequently, 
to demand a quotation as the blessing, thus placing it 
before us as a distinct blessing. In a letter to Miss 
Jane Hilton he asks her, "Was your second deliverance 
wrought while I was at Beverly" — using a phrase pre- 
cisely equivalent to second blessing. Again, in a letter 
to Rev. Joseph Benson he says, "With all your zeal and 
diligence confirm the brethren * * * * in ex- 
pecting a second change, whereby they shall be saved 
from all sin, and perfected in love." In another place 
he uses the term "Second blessing," and, to make the 
matter stronger, he immediately adds "properly so- 
called." 

Permit us, patient reader, to relate a little anecdote 
as an illustration of the effects of the second blessing. 
A good, home-spun, and sensible farmer, a year or two 
ago, took passage from White Hall to Albany in the 
cars. Among the passengers, there was a sprinkling 
of upper-tens of both sexes. But our friend had lost 
his man-fearing spirit. He stood up for Jesus, and 
went through the cars proclaiming a free and full sal- 



248 Wesley's View. 

vation. He addressed alike rich and poor, high and 
low. As he passed along, some said he was drunk, 
others, that he was a fool, others still, that he was 
crazy; but it so happened that one of his neighbors 
was aboard, and revealed the secret of his conduct. 
Says he, "I know this man; he is one of my neighbors. 
He performs the same when he is at home, going from 
house to house. He is not a drinking man, neither is 
he foolish, or crazy ; but he is one of those pesky, trouble- 
some Methodists. He went off to a camp-meeting last 
year, and got what they call the Second blessing; and 
now he can't keep still." This is the fruit that grows on 
this tree. So with father Abbott, and in a lesser degree 
with your author. Now, reader, if you are offended 
with the term Second blessing, you may call it the 
can't-keep-still-blessing — that will do just as well. Oh 
no! we are mistaken. It is written, he that is ashamed 
of me and my words, of him will I be ashamed. Both 
the Savior and John the Baptist, were Christened by 
an angel before their birth, and it would have displeased 
God to have called them any other name; and, it would 
be equally displeasing to God to cast aside the terms 
"full assurance," "perfect love," "entire sanctification," 
"holiness," etc. The attainment thus designated may 
fitly be called the "second blessing," to distinguish it 
from the first, viz., conversion or justification. 

We can enter into the heavenly Jerusalem only 
through three gates. The first gate is adoption, the 
second, perfection, the third, death. The only objec- 
tion which covetous men have to highways — turn- 
pikes and plank-roads — is, because there are gates 
erected, where a sacrifice of pennies is demanded; so 
on the King's highway of holiness; all would go to 
heaven, were it not for the sacrifices required at the 
gates. The way is so narrow, that nothing but soul 



Can't-Keep-Still. — Three Gates. 249 

and body can be admitted. We remember struggling 
for six months with our cheeks bathed in tears, trying 
to enter with soul, body and sin; but we beheld written 
over the gate in letters of light, nothing entereth here 
that defileth; so we looked steadfastly to the Lamb, as 
he struggled in agony, while his human was offered on 
the altar of his Divine nature; and as we looked, cord 
after cord snapped, our burden rolled off and we leaped 
for joy through the straight gate, into the narrow way. 
Here we were freed from all our sins, except our bent of 
sinning; but at the second gate we were cured of that. 
We had no desire to buy anything at Vanity Fair. The 
first gate was as the joy at Isaac's birth ; but the second 
as when he was weaned — when the milk was taken from 
him, and the more substantial food given. At this 
gate Abraham made a great feast. But the third gate 
Isaac went through blind, and so will your humble 
author. At this stage in our journey, we leave the old 
dilapidated house, its windows all broken in, to enter a 
royal palace. This is the gate to endless joy. A patient 
wife will live without complaint in an old, smoky log- 
cabin, if she beholds the grand brick house which her 
husband is building; so the soul fully redeemed. They 
can be happy in a mud edifice, while seeing "my heavenly 
home is bright and fair." The husband of the church 
is now fitting up for his bride, a glorious house in the 
skies. 

A merchant once had an old piano, which had be- 
come a little out of fashion. It therefore, had to be 
moved from the parlor, to give place to one of modern 
style. The old instrument was then given as a play- 
thing for the children. They drummed on it until every 
string was broken, or out of tune, and then it was con- 
demned to the garret as rubbish. A few years after, 
a blind man came along, whose business it was to tune 



250 Old Piano. — Perfection. 

pianos. He inquired of the merchant for a job. He 
said he had none to be tuned, except the old one, which 
we have described; but, says he, it was once a grand 
toned instrument ; it got out of fashion, then out of tune, 
and is now in the rubbish of the garret; and he added, 
that it would be impossible to put it again in tune. 
The blind man thought differently, and proposed to try 
it. The merchant consented on condition, that nothing 
should be paid, until the job was done, and the instru- 
ment put in tune. At it he went, first clearing away 
the rat's nests and cobwebs. The first day he got one 
string to give a proper tone; soon after the second, and 
so on, until every string gave its proper sound. The 
instrument after refitting, was the best in town. So the 
Holy Ghost repairs a fallen soul, and puts it in tune for 
heaven. Drunkards, harlots, blasphemers, infidels, cast 
away by the church, considered as candidates for per- 
dition, not worth praying for, are repaired, and tuned 
up, so that they are fit for the melodies of heaven. 
The first thing is to clear away sinful actions, the next 
is to perfect the bass string of repentence, then to give 
the string of faith the right ring, then regeneration, 
adoption, and so on, until every string is in order and 
gives the Gospel tone, and all are harmonious with 
each other. This perfect harmony within, is Chris- 
tian perfection. The old case may have a leg marred 
or broken, and be half a century behind the fashion; 
but when Gabriel shall blow, the vile body shall be 
changed, glorified, and made the fit habitation of a 
glorified spirit. Here is the highest perfection of hu- 
manity. On earth we may have a perfection of moral 
character; in heaven only, do we arrive at the perfection 
of manhood. 



Life of Abbott. 251 



Chapter XLIII. — Benjamtn Abbott. 

In this chapter we give extracts, showing a few speci- 
mens of the wonders that occurred, during the ministry 
of Mr. Abbott. He met the devil in all shapes. He 
made many blunders; but he gained glorious victories. 
He was a perfect magazine of powerful influence. God 
was his front guard and rearward. Wherever he went, 
the power and glory of God were manifested. 

"June 1st, I preached in town: in the morning we 
had a melting time, many wept. In the afternoon the 
Lord poured out his spirit, and the slain fell before 
him like dead men; others lay as in the agonies of death, 
intreating God to have mercy on their souls : some found 
peace. Glory to God, many in this town seemed alarmed 
of their danger ; may the Lord increase their number. 
A girl who lived with a Quaker, was cut to the heart in 
such a manner, that they did not know how to get her 
home; I went to see her, and found many round her, 
both white and black. She lay as one near her last 
gasp ; I kneeled down and besought God for her deliv- 
erance, and in a few minutes she broke out in raptures of 
joy, crying out, Let me go to Jesus! repeating it several 
times; then she arose and went home. Glory to God! 
for what my eyes saw, my ears heard, and my soul felt 
that day, of the blessed spirit: the meeting continued 
from three o'clock, until evening. 

Two young women at a certain place and time, sit- 
ting in their father's house, one said to the other, if 
mammy had religion I should get it too. The Lord 
struck her with conviction, in such a manner, that she 
cried so loud for mercy, that she alarmed all the house 
with her cries; and thus she continued, until three of 



252 Life of Abbott. 

her sisters were all struck with a like conviction for 
sin. Their cries to God continued near forty-eight 
hours, with little intermission, when God, in his infi- 
nite mercy, set two of their souls at liberty, to rejoice 
in his redeeming love. Another of them came to town, 
and met me, and I went home with her. As we were 
riding along the road, she, being under sore distress 
of soul, cried aloud for mercy, and God broke in upon 
her soul in such a manner, that she clapped her hands 
and cried Glory to God in the highest! There was 
another young woman in the carriage with her, and the 
power of God struck her in so wonderful a manner, that 
she lost the use of her limbs, and lay about an hour; 
when she came to, her first words were, Is this perfect 
love? In time of prayer, at the meeting we attended, 
God poured out his spirit in such a manner, that several 
fell to the floor, with such cries and screeches, that a 
solemn awe sat on every face, and before the meeting 
ended, six souls were set at liberty, to rejoice in the 
Rock of Ages. Thanks be to God. 

Monday, June 2d, in prayer meeting in the evening, 
the Lord was with us of a truth. Next day, I preached 
and had a melting time: at night the Lord was with us 
in power, and we had a proper shout. " Rejoice greatly, 
O daughter of Zion; shout, daughter of Jerusalem. 
Behold, thy king cometh unto thee ; he is just, and having 
salvation." Zech. ix, 9. 

June 4th, I preached, and the Lord laid to his almighty 
power; several fell to the floor; some professed sanctifi- 
cation, and two to be justified: believers were built up 
in the most holy faith. 

June 5th, I preached, and the Lord poured out his 
spirit in mighty power; the cry of mourners was so 
great that the noise might have been heard afar off. 
Several were set at liberty from the bondage of sin and 



Life of Abbott. 253 

Satan, and were made partakers of that love which 
makes glad the city of God. One professed sanctification, 
and several were awakened: thanks to the Most High. 

June 6th, the Lord, under the word, poured out his 
spirit in such a manner, that three or four found peace, 
and two professed sanctification. Believers were built 
up, and it was a good day to many souls. At night, 
we had a proper shout, one fell to the floor, and lay as 
if she were dead, and when she came to, she shouted and 
gave glory to God for her deliverance. 

I met class at sister Brown's. There we had a pow- 
erful time, several were lost in the ocean of redeeming 
love. Glory to God forever! One was sanctified in a 
powerful manner at that meeting, and in the evening 
we had a melting time. The Lord filled one of our 
sisters with perfect love, in the carriage as she was re- 
turning home, in such a powerful manner, that she lost 
both the power of her body and speech ; but when she 
recovered herself, she said that God had given her a clean 
heart, and had filled her soul with love. 

Sunday, June 8th, we held a love feast, and the Lord 
laid his helping hand upon us, and poured out his spirit 
in such a manner, that not one soul spoke their exper- 
ience in love feast. Sinners trembled and fell to the 
floor, while Christians shouted praises to God and the 
Lamb forever. One lay as if she were dead; numbers 
were powerfully wrought upon. This was a love feast 
indeed: I never saw but one like it before, in which no 
one spoke their experience. I preached that day with 
great freedom and power. 

Monday, 9th, I held prayer meeting, and the Lord 
manifested his love among us. There was a shaking 
among the dry bones. One lay as if she were dead 
for near two hours, and then came to with praises to 
God for her deliverance, with great raptures of joy. 



254 Life of Abbott. 

The children of God were filled with joy unspeakable. 
How inexpressible are the pleasures of those, who are 
filled with the raptures of a Savior's love! Ecstatic 
pause! "Silence heightens heaven!" 

Friday, 13th, I held prayer meeting and the power 
of the Lord fell upon the people in such a manner, that 
the slain lay all over the floor. Several were converted 
to God; one or two professed sanctification : Glory to 
God, he carried on his own work. 

Saturday, 14th, I preached and had a melting time. 
I met class, and the power of the Lord came down, and 
we had a shout in the camp of the Lord. 

Sunday, 15th, the Lord attended the word with power, 
and divers fell before him like Dagon before the ark. 
I was obliged to leave the slain on the floor, in order to 
attend my next appointment, where I found a large 
congregation, to whom I preached. In class, we had a 
melting time, and a shout in the camp. It was a day 
of his power; he worked and none could hinder him. 
Next day I preached at a new place, and had a 
favored time ; some sighed, and some groaned, and others 
wept. 

Tuesday, 17th, I preached, and the Lord attended 
the word with power; several were cut to the heart, 
and one found peace to her soul. Blessed be God, he 
has not forgotten to be gracious. "They that seek 
shall find." 

Wednesday, 18th. This was a day of power. I 
preached, and the Lord attended the word with the 
energy of his spirit. Saint and sinner felt his power; 
numbers cried aloud for mercy, and several found Him 
of whom Moses and the prophets wrote. One lay as in 
the agony of death for some time, but glory to God, 
he set his soul at liberty, whereby he was enabled to re- 
joice in his glorious love. 



Life of Abbott. 255 

Thursday, 19th, I preached to a few, but there was 
nothing done to speak of. However, I found peace 
in my own soul. At evening, I met class, and the Lord 
was with us of a truth, we had a shout in the camp of 
Jesus. 

Sunday, 2 2d, I preached with life and power; and 
the Lord manifested his presence among us; some cried 
for mercy, and a solemn awe sat on many faces. I 
went to my next appointment, and preached to a large 
congregation. The Lord laid to his helping hand, and 
there was a mighty shaking among the dry bones : divers 
persons lay through the house, as dead men and 
women slain by the mighty power of God. The same 
Jesus who raised Lazarus from the dead, raised up nine 
persons, that we could ascertain, to praise him as a sin- 
pardoning God; and how many more, that we could not 
ascertain, God only knows: for many wept, and some 
shouted praises to God, and the Lamb — glory to God, 
this was a day that will long be remembered by many 
precious souls. Some were so filled and running over 
with perfect love, that as they returned home they 
snouted praises to God as they went on their way. 
I was as happy as I could live in the body. 

Monday, 23d, I held a prayer meeting, and it was a 
good time to many ; some were so filled with the love of 
God that it took away the use of their limbs, and they 
lay on the floor as happy as they could live, rejoicing 
in the God and rock of their salvation. We had at that 
time about twelve children on the circuit, who were 
happy in religion, and the Lord was doing great things 
for many. My soul was on the wing. 

Tuesday, 24th, I held another prayer meeting, and 
had a powerful time. Next day I met class, and we 
had a melting time. At night I preached, and the 
power of the Lord was present to the joy of his children; 



256 Life of Abbott. 

and we had a shout in the assembly. "Cry out and 
shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy 
One of Israel in the midst of thee." Isa. xii, 6. 

Thursday, 26th, we had an awful time: numbers cried 
out for mercy, and the Lord set some at liberty, to re- 
joice in his redeeming love. " Let thy priests be clothed 
with salvation, and let thy saints rejoice in goodness." 
2 Chron. vi, 41. 

Friday, 27th, I preached, and the Lord laid to his 
almighty arm of power, in such a manner, that several 
lay as if they were in the agony of death; some trem- 
bled, and others cried aloud for mercy. Glory to the 
eternal God, he slays, and he makes alive. In his mercy 
he set several at liberty, to rejoice in his redeeming love. 
This was a day of his power to many souls, and my soul 
was happy. 

Sunday, 29th, I preached twice, as usual, on the 
Sabbath; in the morning we had a precious time, and 
in the afternoon we had a shout of a king in the camp. 
Some were rejoicing in redeeming love; and others 
were crying in bitterness of soul, for mercy at the hand 
of God; while the power of the Lord slew others, as 
men cut down in battle. It was a day of days to many 
souls. Glory to the eternal God! This meeting con- 
tinued from three o'clock until evening. 

July 3d I preached, and had a precious time; then 
I met class, and the presence of the Lord was among 
us. "For the Lord thy God walketh in the midst of 
thy camp to deliver thee." Deut. xxiii, 14. Next 
day the Lord was with us of a truth: one was set at 
liberty, and several of the friends seemed lost in the 
ocean of God's love. In the afternoon we had a melt- 
ing time among the friends. At night, we held a prayer 
meeting, and many were slain before the Lord; one pro- 
fessed to be justified freely by his grace; another pro- 



Life of Abbott. 257 

fessed sanctification. This was a time, to my soul, long 
to be remembered; and I trust it will be remembered 
by many others. This meeting continued until near 
three o'clock. 

Friday, 4th, I preached from 1 John, iv, 16. "God is 
love." It was a time of love indeed: for divers of God's 
dear children were lost in the ocean of redeeming grace ; 
and the God of love spoke peace to three souls. That 
day will never be forgotten to my soul; though I was 
weak in body, I was strong in spirit. 

Sunday, 6th, I preached in the morning, and it was 
a good time to many; several cried aloud, some seemed 
lost in the ocean of redeeming love, and I was so happy 
that I could hardly refrain from crying out. In the 
afternoon, we had a large congregation; and the devil 
got angry, and made one of his servants throw some 
stones. We had a happy time in class: afterward I 
went home with one of our friends, and held a prayer 
meeting, and the Master of assemblies was with us. 

Monday evening I held a prayer meeting, and had 
a melting time : some of the friends were lost as in won- 
der, love, and praise. The next day I held a prayer 
meeting again, and the Lord was with us. Some cried 
out, " Praise the Lord, O my soul! and all that is within 
me, praise his holy name." The next day likewise, I 
held a prayer meeting, and we had a comfortable time. 

Friday, nth, I preached a funeral sermon, and the 
Lord was present with us. At night I held a prayer 
meeting, and we had a melting time. The next day 
the Lord was with us in a powerful manner; some cried 
out, and others were lost in the ocean of love, and I was 
happy in my own soul; blessed be God, he has not for- 
gotten to be gracious. 

Sunday, 13th, in the forenoon I preached to a large 
congregation, and the Lord laid to his helping hand: some 



258 Life of Abbott. 

lay on the floor as in the agony of death; others were 
crying aloud for mercy, and some were shouting praises 
to God, being filled with his love. Several fled out of 
the house, choosing rather to risk their lot among the 
damned, than to expose themselves in the congrega- 
tion by asking mercy at the hands of God. The Lord 
set one soul at liberty, and another professed sanctifi- 
cation, "The Lord's hand is not shortened." In the 
afternoon I went to my other appointment, where I 
met a large congregation, to whom I preached, and the 
Lord made bare his arm in such a manner, that there 
was a shaking among the dry bones: some cried aloud, 
others were happy in God. Glory to his dear name, my 
soul was happy. 

Monday, 14th, I preached and had a melting time; 
sinners were cut to the heart, believers were transported 
with the presence of God, and my heart was swallowed 
up in redeeming love. I joined ten in society; may 
God record their names in the Lamb's book of life. In 
the evening I preached again, and the Lord poured out 
his spirit, and we had a shout in the camp of Israel. 

Next day, under preaching, the power of God was 
with us in such a manner that some wept, and others 
seemed lost in the ocean of love. One professed sancti- 
fication, and another was so struck by the mighty power 
of God, that she shook from head to foot, as if in the 
agony of death, for near the space of two hours, some 
times crying to God for mercy, at other times that her 
heart would break; at length her strength failed, and 
she lay for a time like one dead: when she came to, she 
praised God for her deliverance, while many stood 
around her amazed. Glory to God for a miracle of grace ! 
I was so happy that I could hardly utter a sentence, 
until God withdrew his hand a little. Were we to be 
always thus happy, we should be disqualified for earth, 



Life of Abbott. 259 

or worldly things. O! what raptures shall we have in 
heaven ! 

Wednesday, 16th, I preached, and the Lord poured 
out his spirit, both upon the word and in the class, in so 
wonderful a manner that a woman lay under the mighty 
operation of the spirit of God, as one dead for the space 
of three hours; several felt her hands and arms, and 
they were apparently cold, as if she had been dead and 
laid out ; but glory to God, when he by his spirit revived 
her, she could testify that he had sanctified her soul, 
and filled her with joy unspeakable. Several of the 
friends were baptized in the fountain of love; and for 
my own part, I was so filled with the love of God that I 
could hold no more. "It was good measure, pressed 
down, and shaken together, and running over." Luke 
vi, 38. I adore God for what I have felt and seen; my 
tongue or pen can never express it on this side of eternity. 

Saturday, 19th, our quarterly meeting began, and we 
had a blessed time to many souls. 

Sunday, 20th, our meeting began at six o'clock in 
the niorning, and when we had sung and prayed, the 
power of God came down in such a manner, that the 
slain lay all through the house. Some seemed lost in 
the ocean of God's love, some professed justification, 
and others that God had sanctified their souls. This 
meeting was so powerful, that but one attempted to 
speak her experience in love feast ; while she was speaking 
she sunk down, crying out, God has made me all love! 
immediately the house was filled with cries and praises 
to God; some trembled and were astonished. We had 
to carry the slain out of the house, in order to make 
room, that the people might come in to the public 
preaching; and when we had sung and prayed, the 
presence of the Lord came down as in the days of old, 
and the house was filled with his glory; the people fell 



260 Life of Abbott. 

before him like men slain in battle. It was a great day 
of God's power to many souls ; some professed sanctifica- 
tion, some justification, and others were lost as in the 
ocean of redeeming love. This was a day of days to my 
soul. The windows being open, there were hundreds 
outside gazing at those in the house, who were slain 
before the Lord; but they lay both in the house and 
out of it. Prayers were put up to God, both within 
and without the house, in behalf of the penitents and 
mourners. I trust that many date their conviction 
and others their conversion, from that quarterly meeting. 

I went from this meeting to brother D 's, with 

some other friends, where we joined in prayer, and the 
Lord (glory to his name) poured out of his spirit in a 
powerful manner among us. I then went home with 
some friends, where we sung praises to God; and while 
we were singing, the power of God fell on me in such a 
manner, that I cried out: the power reached all in the 
room, and one fell to the floor, crying to God; after 
some time, she cried out, I see Jesus! (repeating it 
several times,) and then, I see Moses and Elias! but 
not with my bodily eyes. She then cried out, I am 
going! my arms are dead! call Mrs. A. When Mrs. A. 
came, she told her that she saw her mother standing 
in white ; then gave some words of exhortation to repent- 
ance; she then died away, and lay in that state about 
twenty minutes; afterward she came to, and declared 
that the Lord had sanctified her soul, praising God and 
the Lamb, in raptures of joy. Another fell as if she 
had been shot and lay some time ; when she came to, 
she likewise professed sanctifying grace. This little 
meeting held about four hours. 

Monday, I held prayer meeting in the evening, and 
God visited us in such a manner, that several fell to 
the floor; some professed to find Him of whom Moses 



Life of Abbott. 261 

and the prophets wrote; this meeting held until three 
in the morning. 

Tuesday, I met class, and had a melting time ; the mem- 
bers seemed swallowed up in the ocean of love. One was 
sanctified in a powerful manner. It was a happy time to 
my soul. In the evening, under preaching, the Lord set 
the soul of one at liberty, to rejoice in his love. "The 
shout of a king was among them." Num. xxiii, 21. 

Wednesday, under the word, some found peace, and 
one experienced sanctifying grace; many were lost 
as in the ocean of love, and we again had the shout 
of a king in the camp. 

Thursday, in the forenoon, under preaching, God 
poured out his Spirit in a powerful manner; his chil- 
dren were happy in his love, and it was a good time to my 
own soul. In the evening we had a peaceable waiting 
before God. How pleasant is it to be found in the 
work of the Lord when the blessed Redeemer is with us. 

Next day, I preached and met class, and we had a 
precious time among the children of God. At night, 
I held a prayer meeting, and the power of the Lord 
was present among us; one professed justification, 
and God's children were built up in their most holy 
faith. Nothing is so encouraging to a minister, as to 
see sinners converted, and the people of God going 
forward in their journey toward the heavenly Canaan. 

Saturday, 26th, I went to a quarterly meeting, Dover 
circuit, Kent county, Delaware state: we had a happy 
day. On Sunday, in love feast, the Lord God of Elijah, 
who answereth by fire, poured out his Spirit in such a 
manner, that the altar of the Christians' hearts was all 
in a flame with the seraphic fire of love. "Elijah, the 
prophet came near, and said, Lord of Abraham, Isaac, 
and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art 
God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, etc. Hear 



262 Life of Abbott. 

me, Lord, hear me, that this people may know that 
thou art the Lord God, etc." Then the fire of the Lord 
fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, etc. And when 
the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, 
"The Lord, he is the God; the Lord, he is the God." 1 
Kings xviii, 36-39. So on that day, when the fire of the 
Lord came down, the people fell and acknowledged 
the power of God ; and the slain lay all about the house ; 
some were carried out as dead men and women; while 
others were lost in the ocean of love, shouting praises 
to God and the Lamb. The house was filled with the 
glory of Israel's God, who spoke peace to mourners, 
while sinners were cut to the heart. Glory to God, it 
was a high day to my own soul. It was thought there 
were about fifteen hundred looking on, with wonder and 
amazement, at the mighty power of God, which caused 
the powers of hell to shake and give way; and many of 
the spectators trembled and were astonished ; a number 
professed faith in Christ, and others sanctifying grace; 
God's dear children, generally, were refreshed in redeem- 
ing love. This was one of the days of the son of man. 
Glory to God, saith my soul. 

Monday, I was very unwell, but happy in the love 
of God. On Tuesday, in family prayer, the power of 
God came down wonderfully upon us; four fell to the 
floor, and they found "Him of whom Moses in the 
law, and the prophets did write, Jesus of Nazareth," 
to the joy of their souls. 

Wednesday, 30th, I held prayer meeting, and the Lord 
made bare his almighty power, to the joy of his children ; 
one fell to the floor, divers were plunged in the ocean of 
love, and we had a shout in the camp of Israel. 

Thursday, I met class; one fell to the floor, entreating 
God for mercy, and soon lay as one dead for near an 
hour; it was a happy time to the children of God, 



Uncle Peter." 263 



Chapter XLIV. — Peter Cartwright. 

When God made a contract with Noah, to build a 
safety barge, he specified the length and breadth, the 
height and depth, he desired to have it. So when we 
began this book, we prescribed its dimensions. But 
have made it nearly twice as large as we first contem- 
plated; and yet, there is timber to go in. 

We promised the reader a call upon the Western Pio- 
neers ; those who blazed their way through a wilderness 
filled with lurking savages, to the most remote settle- 
ments. In this chapter we introduce Rev. Peter 
Cartwright, one of the most eccentric wheels in the 
Gospel machinery. We regret that we can spare him 
only a few pages. We wish to give a variety, and hence 
will pass on to make other calls, after a brief story. 

We will take from "Uncle Peter" an account of 
the "jerking spirit," one which has frequently made 
its advent, in different ages of the Church. Eternity 
only, will fully settle the questions, whether it came 
from above or below, and whether its fruit was good 
or evil. One thing is certain, no spirit is suffered to 
act upon mortals, except with the consent of the 
Almighty, who 

"Moves in a mysterious way, 
His wonders to perform." 

From 1 80 1, for years, a blessed revival of religion 
spread through almost the entire inhabited parts of 
the West, Kentucky, Tennessee, the Carolinas, and 
many other parts, especially through the Cumberland 
country, which was so called from the Cumberland 
River, which headed and mouthed in Kentucky, but 



264 Extract on Jerking. 

in its great bend circled south through Tennessee, 
near Nashville. The Presbyterians and Methodists 
in a great measure united in this work, met together, 
prayed together, and preached together. 

In this revival originated our camp-meetings, and 
in both these denominations they were held every year, 
and, indeed, have been ever since, more or less. They 
would erect their camps with logs, or frame them, and 
cover them with clapboards or shingles. They would 
also erect a shed, sufficiently large to protect five thou- 
sand people from wind and rain, and cover it with 
boards or shingles; build a large stand, seat the shed, 
and here they would collect together from forty to fifty 
miles around, sometimes farther than that. Ten, 
twenty, and sometimes thirty ministers, of different 
denominations, would come together and preach night 
and day, four or five days together; and, indeed, I 
have known these camp-meetings to last three or four 
weeks, and great good resulted from them. I have 
seen more than a hundred sinners fall like dead men 
under one powerful sermon, and I have seen and heard 
more than five hundred Christians all shouting aloud 
the high praises of God at once; and I will venture to 
assert that many happy thousands were awakened and 
converted to God at these camp-meetings. Some sinners 
mocked, some of the old dry professors opposed, some 
of the old starched Presbyterian preachers preached 
against these exercises, but still the work went on and 
spread almost in every direction, gathering additional 
force, until our country seemed all coming home to God. 

In this great revival, the Methodists kept moderately 
balanced; for we had excellent preachers to steer the 
ship, or to guide the flock. But some of our members 
ran wild, and indulged in some extravagancies that were 
hard to control. 



Dissatisfaction. 265 

The Presbyterian preachers and members, not being 
accustomed to much noise or shouting, when they yielded 
to it went into great extremes and downright wildness, 
to the great injury of the cause of God. Their old 
preachers licensed a great many young men to preach, 
contrary to their Confession of Faith. That Confession 
of Faith required their ministers to believe in uncon- 
ditional election and reprobation, and the unconditional 
and final perseverance of the saints. But in this revival, 
they, almost to a man, gave up these points of high 
Calvinism, and preached a free salvation to all mankind. 
The Westminster Confession required every man, before 
he could be licensed to preach, to have a liberal educa- 
tion; but this qualification was dispensed with; and a 
great many fine men were licensed to preach without 
this literary qualification, or subscribing to those high- 
toned doctrines of Calvinism. 

This state of things produced great dissatisfaction 
in the Synod of Kentucky, and messenger after mes- 
senger was sent to wait on the Presbytery, to get them 
to desist from their erratic course, but without success. 
Finally, they were cited to trial before the constituted 
authorities of the Church. Some were censured, some 
were suspended, some retraced their steps, while others 
surrendered their credentials of ordination, and the rest 
were cut off from the Church. 

While in this amputated condition, they called a 
general meeting of all their licentiates. They met our 
presiding elder, J. Page, and a number of Methodist 
ministers at a quarterly meeting in Logan County, and 
proposed to join the Methodist Episcopal Church as a 
body; but our aged ministers declined this offer and 
persuaded them to rise up and embody themselves 
together, and constitute a Church. They reluctantly 
yielded to this advice, and, in due time and form, con- 



266 New Church. 

stituted what they denominated the "Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church"; and in their confession of faith 
split, as they supposed, the difference between the 
Predestinarians and the Methodists, rejecting a partial 
atonement, or special election and reprobation, but 
retaining the doctrine of the final unconditional per- 
severance of the saints. 

What an absurdity! While a man remains a sinner 
he may come, as a free agent, to Christ, if he will, and 
if he does not come, his damnation will be just, because 
he refused offered mercy ; but as soon as he gets converted 
his free agency is destroyed, the best book of Heaven 
is then lost, and, although he may backslide, wander 
away from Christ, yet he shall be brought in. He 
cannot finally be lost, if he has ever been really con- 
verted to God. 

They made a very sorry show in their attempt to 
support this left foot of Calvinism. But, be it spoken 
to their credit, they do not often preach this doctrine. 
They generally preach Methodist doctrine, and have been 
the means of doing a great deal of good, and would 
have done much more, if they had left this relic of John 
Calvin behind. 

In this revival, usually termed in the west the Cum- 
berland revival, many joined the different Churches, 
especially the Methodist and Cumberland Presbyterians. 
The Baptists also came in for a share of the converts, but 
not to any great extent. Infidelity quailed before the 
mighty power of God, which was displayed among the 
people. Universalism was almost driven from the land. 
The Predestinarians of almost all sorts put forth a mighty 
effort to stop the work of God. 

Just in the midst of our controversies on the subject 
of the powerful exercises among the people under 
preaching, a new exercise broke out among us, called 



The "Jerks." — Horsewhipping. 267 

the jerks, which was overwhelming in its effects upon 
the bodies and minds of the people. No matter whether 
they were saints or sinners, they would be taken under 
a warm song or sermon, and seized with a convulsive 
jerking all over, which they could not by any possibility 
avoid, and the more they resisted the more they jerked. 
If they would not strive against it, and prayed in good 
earnest, the jerking would usually abate. I have seen 
more than five hundred persons jerking at one time 
in my large congregations. Most usually, persons taken 
with the jerks, to obtain relief, as they said, would rise 
up and dance. Some would run, but could not get 
away. Some would resist; on such, the jerks were 
generally very severe. 

To see those proud young gentlemen and young 
ladies, dressed in their silks, jewelry, and prunella, 
from top to toe, take the jerks, would often excite my 
risibilities. The first jerk or so, you would see their 
fine bonnets, caps, and combs fly; and so sudden would 
be the jerking of the head, that their long loose hair 
would crack almost as loud as a wagoner's whip. 

At one of my appointments in 1804, there was a 
very large congregation turned out to hear the Ken- 
tucky boy, as they called me. Among the rest, there 
were two very finely dressed, fashionable young ladies, 
attended by two brothers with loaded horsewhips. 
Although the house was large, it was crowded. The 
two young ladies, coming in late, took their seats near 
where I stood, and their two brothers stood in the door. 
I was a little unwell, and I had a phial of peppermint 
in my pocket. Before I commenced preaching, I took 
out my phial and swallowed a little of the peppermint. 
While I was preaching, the congregation was melted into 
tears. The two young gentlemen moved off to the yard 
fence, and both the young ladies took the jerks, and 



268 Blaspheming. 

they were greatly mortified about it. There was a great 
stir in the congregation. Some wept, some shouted, and 
before our meeting closed, several were converted. 

As I dismissed the assembly, a man stepped up to 
me, and warned me to be on my guard, for he had 
heard the two brothers swear they would horsewhip 
me when the meeting was out, for giving their sisters the 
jerks. "Well," said I, "I'll see to that." 

I went out and said to the young men that I under- 
stood they intended to horsewhip me, for giving 
their sisters the jerks. One replied that he did. I 
undertook to expostulate with him on the absurdity of 
the charge against me, but he swore I need not deny it; 
for he had seen me take out a phial, in which I carried 
some truck that gave his sisters the jerks. As quick 
as thought it came to my mind how I would get clear 
of my whipping, and, jerking out the peppermint phial 
said I, "Yes, if I gave your sisters the jerks, I'll give 
them to you." In a moment I saw he was scared. I 
moved toward him, he backed, I advanced, and he 
wheeled and ran, warning me not to come near him, or 
he would kill me. It raised the laugh on him, and I 
escaped my whipping. I had the pleasure, before the 
year was out, of seeing all four soundly converted to 
God, and I took them into the Church. 

While I am on this subject, I will relate a very serious 
circumstance which I knew to take place with a man 
who had the jerks at a camp-meeting, on what was 
called the Ridge, in William Magee's congregation. 
There was a great work of religion in the encampment. 
The jerks were very prevalent. There was a company of 
drunken rowdies who came to interrupt the meeting. 
These rowdies were headed by a very large drinking 
man. They came with their bottles of whiskey in their 
pockets, This large man cursed the jerks, and all 



Divine Agency. 269 

religion. Shortly afterward he took the jerks, and he 
started to run, but he jerked so powerfully he could not 
get away. He halted among some saplings, and, although 
he was violently agitated, he took out his bottle of 
whiskey, and swore he would drink the damned jerks 
to death; but he jerked at such a rate, he could not get 
the bottle to his mouth, though he tried hard. At length 
he fetched a sudden jerk, and the bottle struck a sapling 
and was broken to pieces, and spilled his whiskey on 
the ground. There was a great crowd gathered round 
him, and when he lost his whiskey he became very much 
enraged, and cursed and swore very profanely, his jerks 
still increasing. At length he fetched a very violent 
jerk, snapped his neck, fell, and soon expired, with 
his mouth full of Cursing and bitterness. 

I always looked upon the jerks, as a judgment sent 
from God, first, to bring sinners to repentance; and, 
secondly, to show professors that God could work 
with or without means, and he could work over and 
above means, and do whatsoever seemeth him good, to 
the glory of his grace, and the salvation of the world. 

Mr. Cartwright relates many other extraordinary 
things. Many in his time set the day when the world 
was to be burned; others had a horrid compound of 
Mormonism, and other sister spirits, boiling and foaming 
in the devil's cauldron, heated by wildfire fed with 
brambles. It puts me in mind of the witches' cauldron 
of Shakspeare. He, as do all other evangelical ministers, 
preached against these things. The devil displays 
two methods to ruin souls ; if he cannot draw them back 
into Babylon, and kill them with frost, he will shove 
them off the high cliff of fanaticism, and burn them 
with wildfire. But we agree with Bro. Cartwright, that 
the jerks were from God directly; partly as a judgment 
on incorrigible sinners, such as the blasphemous rum- 



270 Slaying Power. — Divine Power. 

seller; also, as a means to arouse the sleeping virgins, and 
to bring sinners to repentance. But did the Spirit break 
the neck of the rummy? Remember Ananias and Sap- 
phira. The Holy Ghost slew them for lying, and the 
rummy for blasphemy. Here is a warning to all who 
carry liquor to a place of worship in their pockets; 
and, also to all who lie to the Holy Ghost. We have 
the same law-giver, who is able to create and destroy. 
One evidence that the jerking spirit was from God, 
was, that it came during a "warm sermon, or song." 
Would God dishonor himself by permitting the advent 
of a devilish spirit, during a song of praise, or a Holy 
Ghost sermon? We should blush at the thought. God 
cannot permit his own word to be disgraced. 

We call especial notice to this, in the above extract. 
Mr. Cartwright says, "he has seen more than a hundred 
sinners fall like dead men under one powerful sermon, 
and has seen and heard more than five hundred Chris- 
tians all shouting aloud the high praises of God at once." 
What a spectacle would this be in the new, double- 
steepled Trinity M. E. Church, in the city of New York; or 
in the new Grecian, polished marble M. E. Church, in 
Fourth Street ! Only think, a hundred men and women 
lying on the floor, with the arrows of God rankling 
in their hearts, smiting their breasts, and crying for 
mercy ; and all around them, five hundred brethren and 
sisters shouting the high praises of God from the tops 
of the mountains; — and all this uproar caused by one 
powerful sermon! O! Lord, give us preachers and 
sermons like the neck of Job's horse, "clothed with 
thunder." Amen! Mr. Cartwright says, starched up 
Presbyterians tried in vain to stop the work; and we 
blush to say, that in latter days starched up Methodists 
have endeavored to stop God's mighty work. 

But our visit must end. It is time to call on Bro. 
Finley ; so farewell "Uncle Peter, till we meet in heaven." 



Sixty Years Ago. 271 



Chapter XLV. — J. B. Finley. 

We now hail with great joy the Rev. J. B. Finley. 
As we open his autobiography, and endeavor to make 
a selection of extracts, we are like the honey bee poised 
over a garden of flowers, his eye ravished with their 
variegated charms, his faith measuring the abundance 
of their sweetness, yet knowing that he can descend 
on but a single flower, and draw from the bottom of 
one little cell. Mr. Finley commenced his career as a 
minister in the West, about sixty years ago, and entered 
upon his everlasting rest in the year 1858. His father 
was a high-toned Calvinistic preacher, who endeavored 
to thrust down into the heart of his son, election, repro- 
bation, and kindred doctrines; but not having powers 
to digest such spikes and irons, he cast them up and 
turned to better things, as a pigeon casts up a crop 
full of wild seeds as it lights in a wheat field, and fills 
its little granary with pure wheat. He stowed away 
in his great heart, the blessed doctrines of a free and 
full salvation. 

The reader, if his tastes are like ours, will pardon 
us if we turn away from the noisy scenes which now 
occupy us, to attend a marriage feast. Everybody, 
especially the parties, like to go to weddings. In fact, 
there is sometimes a great deal of religion in getting 
married. The Savior himself once honored a wedding 
feast with his presence ; and we are always safe in follow- 
ing him. But the hour has come for the wedding; we 
will now see how they do such things in the woods. 

"On the third of March, 1801, I was accordingly 
married to Hannah Strane. My father having bought 
land in what is now Highland county, I resolved to 



272 Wedding. 

move and take possession. This section of the country- 
was then a dense wilderness, with only here and there 
a human habitation. My father-in-law, being unsatisfied 
with his daughter's choice, did not even allow her to 
take her clothes, so we started out, without any patri- 
mony, on our simple matrimonial stock, to make our 
fortune in the woods. With the aid of my brother 
John, I built a cabin in the forest, my nearest neighbor 
being three miles off. Into this we moved, without 
horse or cow, bed or bedding, bag or baggage. We 
gathered up the leaves and dried them in the sun; then, 
picking out all the sticks, we put them into a bed-tick. 
For a bedstead, we drove forks into the ground, and 
laid sticks across, over which we placed elm bark. On 
this we placed our bed of leaves, and had comfortable 
lodging. The next thing was to procure something to 
eat. Of meat we had an abundance, supplied by my 
rifle, but we wanted some bread. I cut and split one 
hundred rails for a bushel of potatoes, which I carried 
home on my back, a distance of six miles. At the same 
place I worked a day for a hen and three chickens, 
which I put into my hunting-shirt bosom, and carried 
home as a great prize. Our cabin was covered with 
bark, and lined and floored with the same material. One 
end of the cabin was left open for a fireplace. In this 
we lived comfortably all summer. Having no horse or 
plow, I went into a plum bottom near the house, and, 
with my axe, grubbed and cleared off an acre and a half, 
in which I dug holes with my hoe, and planted my 
corn, without any fence around it. I cultivated this 
patch as well as I could with my hoe, and Providence 
blessed my labor with a good crop, of over one hundred 
bushels. Besides, during the summer, with the help of 
my wife, I put up a neat cabin, and finished it for our 
winter's lodgings. For the purpose of making the cabin 



Wedlock vs. Padlock. 273 

warm, I put my corn in the loft, and now, if we could not 
get bread, we had always, as a good substitute, plenty of 
hominy. We had also plenty of bear-meat and venison ; 
no couple on earth lived happier or more contented. 

Our Indian friends often called, and staid all night, 
and I paid them, in return, occasional visits. 

"During the season several families settled in the 
neighborhood, and, when we were together, we enjoyed 
life without gossip and those often fatal bickerings and 
backbitings which destroy the peace of whole communi- 
ties. Of all people on the face of God's earth, I despise 
a gossiping tattler, whose chief business is to retail 
slander from house to house, and ruin the peace of 
families. I would rather meet a lioness bereft of her 
whelps, a bear of her cubs, a hungry panther, or a 
revengeful savage, than a human being in the form of 
a tattler, with smooth tongue and slimy feet. Though 
we had but little, our wants were few, and we enjoyed 
our simple and homely possessions with a relish the 
purse-proud aristocrat never enjoyed. A generous 
hospitality characterized every neighbor, and what we 
had we divided to the last with each other. When 
anyone wanted help, all were ready to aid." 

Here was genuine connubial love. No padlock in 
his case! Here was a helpmate indeed; proving Solo- 
mon correct when he said that a dinner of herbs, (or 
even bear's meat,) crowned with love, is better than 
a stalled ox, with hatred. Just in this way will a soul 
wedded to Christ, the husband of the church, forsake 
father and mother — Rebecca-like, cast off old lovers, 
and turn away from the old homestead, to live in a log 
cabin, sleep on leaves, and feed on bear-meat. With 
the love of Christ in their hearts, they are a thousand 
times happier than a king on his throne without 
religion, 



274 Backwoods Camp-Meeting. 

We now turn from a backwoods wedding to a back- 
woods camp-meeting, where Mr. Finley received an 
arrow in his heart, from the quiver of the Almighty, 
which resulted in his conversion. 

"In the month of August, 1801, I learned that there 
was to be a great meeting at Cane Ridge, in my father's old 
congregation. Feeling a great desire to see the wonder- 
ful things which had come to my ears, and having been 
solicited by some of my old schoolmates to go over into 
Kentucky for the purpose of revisiting the scenes of my 
boyhood, I resolved to go. Obtaining company, I started 
from my woody retreat in Highland county. Having 
reached the neighborhood of the meeting, we stopped 
and put up for the night. The family, who seemed to 
be posted in regard to all the movements of the meeting, 
cheerfully answered all our inquiries, and gave us all the 
information we desired. The next morning we started 
for the meeting. On the way I said to my companions : 
'Now, if I fall, it must be by physical power and not 
by singing and praying' ; and as I prided myself upon 
my manhood and courage, I had no fear of being over- 
come by any nervous excitability, or being frightened 
into religion. We arrived upon the ground, and here 
a scene presented itself to my mind not only novel and 
unaccountable, but awful beyond description. A vast 
crowd, supposed by some to have amounted to twenty- 
five thousand, was collected together. The noise was 
like the roar of Niagara. The vast sea of human 
beings seemed to be agitated as if by a storm. I counted 
seven ministers, all preaching at one time, some on 
stumps, others in wagons, and one — the Rev. William 
Burke, now of Cincinnati — was standing on a tree which 
had, in falling, lodged against another. Some of the 
people were singing, others praying, some crying for 
mercy in the most piteous accents, while others were 



Backwoods Camp-Meeting. 275 

shouting most vociferously. While witnessing these 
scenes, a peculiarly strange sensation, such as I had 
never felt before, came over me. My heart beat tumultu- 
ously, my knees trembled, my lip quivered, and I felt 
as though I must fall to the ground. A strange super- 
natural power seemed to pervade the entire mass of mind 
there collected. I became so weak and powerless that 
I found it necessary to sit down. Soon after I left and 
went into the woods, and there I strove to rally and man 
up my courage. I tried to philosophize in regard to 
these wonderful exhibitions, resolving them into mere 
sympathetic excitement — a kind of religious enthusi- 
asm, inspired by songs and eloquent harrangues. My 
pride was wounded, for I supposed that my mental 
and physical strength and vigor could most successfully 
resist these influences. 

"After some time I returned to the scene of excit- 
ment, the waves of which, if possible, had risen still 
higher. The same awfulness of feeling came over me. 
I stepped up on to a log, where I could have a better 
view of the surging sea of humanity. The scene that 
then presented itself to my mind was indescribable. 
At one time I saw at least five hundred swept down 
in a moment, as if a battery of a thousand guns had 
been opened upon them, and then immediately followed 
shrieks and shouts that rent the very heavens. My 
hair rose on my head, my whole frame trembled, the 
blood ran cold in my veins, and I fled for the woods a 
second time, and wished I had staid at home. While I 
remained here my feelings became intense and insup- 
portable. A sense of suffocation and blindness seemed 
to come over me, and I thought I was going to die. 
There being a tavern about half a mile off, I concluded 
to go and get some brandy, and see if it would not 
strengthen my nerves. When I arrived there I was 



276 Backwoods Camp-Meeting. 

disgusted with the sight that met my eyes. Here I saw 
about one hundred men engaged in a drunken revelry, 
playing cards, trading horses, quarreling, and fighting. 
After some time I got to the bar, and took a dram and 
left, feeling that I was as near hell as I wished to be, 
either in this or the world to come. The brandy had no 
effect in allaying my feelings, but, if anything, made me 
worse. Night at length came on, and I was afraid 
to see any of my companions. I cautiously avoided 
them, fearing lest they should discover something the 
matter with me. In this state I wandered about from 
place to place, in and around the encampment. At times 
it seemed as if all the sins I had ever committed in 
my life were vividly brought up in array before my 
terrified imagination, and under their awful pressure 
I felt that I must die if I did not get relief. Then it 
was that I saw clearly through the thin vail of Uni- 
versalism, and this refuge of lies was swept away by 
the spirit of God. Then fell the scales from my sin- 
blinded eyes, and I realized, in all its force and power, 
the awful truth that if I died in my sins, I was a lost 
man forever. O, how I dreaded the death of the soul ; for 

"There is a death whose pang 
Outlasts the fleeting breath 
O what eternal horrors hang 
Around the second death!" 

Notwithstanding all this, my heart was so proud and 
hard that I would not have fallen to the ground for 
the whole state of Kentucky. I felt that such an event 
would have been an everlasting disgrace, and put a 
final quietus on my boasted manhood and courage. 
At night I went to a barn in the neighborhood, and 
creeping under the hay, spent a most dismal night. 
I resolved, in the morning, to start for home, for I felt 



Backwoods Camp-Meeting. 277 

that I was a ruined man. Finding one of the friends 
who came over with me, I said, 'Captain, let us be off; I 
will stay no longer.' He assented, and getting our 
horses we started for home. We said but little on the 
way, though many a deep, long-drawn sigh told the 
emotions of the heart. When we arrived at the Blue 
Lick Knobs, I broke the silence which reigned mutually 
between us. Like long pent-up waters, seeking for an 
avenue in the rock, the fountains of my soul were broken 
up, and I exclaimed, 'Captain, if you and I don't stop 
our wickedness, the devil will get us both.' Then came 
from my streaming eyes the bitter tears, and I could 
scarcely refrain from screaming aloud. This startled and 
alarmed my companion, and he commenced weeping too. 
Night approaching, we put up near Mayslick, the whole 
of which was spent by me in weeping and promising 
God, if he would spare me till morning, I would pray 
and try to mend my life and abandon my wicked courses. 
"As soon as day broke I went to the woods to pray, 
and no sooner had my knees touched the ground than 
I cried aloud for mercy and salvation, and fell prostrate. 
My cries were so loud that they attracted the attention 
of the neighbors, many of whom gathered around me. 
Among the number was a German from Switzerland, who 
had experienced religion. He, understanding fully my 
condition, had me carried to his house and laid on a 
bed. The old Dutch saint directed me to look right away 
to the Savior. He then kneeled at the bedside and 
prayed for my salvation most fervently, in Dutch and 
broken English. He then rose and sung in the same 
manner, and continued singing and praying alternately 
till nine o'clock, when suddenly my load was gone, my 
guilt removed, and presently the direct witness from 
heaven shone full upon my soul. Then there flowed 
such copious streams of love into the hitherto waste and 



278 Backwoods Camp-Meeting. 

desolate places of my soul, that I thought I should die 
with excess of joy. I cried, I laughed, I shouted, and so 
strangely did I appear to all, but my Dutch brother, 
that they thought me deranged. After a time I re- 
turned to my companion, and we started on our journey. 
what a day it was to my soul ! The Sun of righteous- 
ness had risen upon me, and all nature seemed to rejoice 
in the brightness of its rising. The trees that waved 
their lofty heads in the forest, seemed to bow them in 
admiration and praise. The living stream of salvation 
flowed into my soul. Then did I realize the truth of 
that hymn I have so frequently sung: 

"I feel that heaven is now begun; 
It issues from the sparkling throne — 

From Jesus' throne on high: 
It comes in floods I can't contain; 
I drink, and drink, and drink again, 

And yet am ever dry." 



Chapter XLVL— J. B. Finley. 

Glory to God! for Camp-meetings. Countless millions 
in the Church militant and triumphant, send back the 
shout, like the noise of many waters, glory to God! for 
Camp-meetings. It is to us among the hidden mysteries, 
how Methodists could raise a finger against them. We 
fear they have some of the symptoms manifested in the 
cure of a Universalist friend of ours, an intelligent Justice 
of the Peace. Being an old friend, he purchased as a 
matter of courtesy, the history of our life. Meeting 
him again in a few days, he said he had read the little 
book through, and was much interested in it; and added, 



Universalist. 279 

that he knew the temporal part to be true, but of course, 
says he, you do not expect me to swallow your hell and 
damnation doctrine. He then drew down his face, 
assumed a dignified look, and said, "Sir, there is a portion 
of that book that seems to me blasphemous; you make 
camp-meetings a place resembling heaven more than 
any other place on earth; but to me, they are more 
like Pandemonium than anything I ever met." Doubt- 
less an honest confession. Like the dying Altamonte, 
heaven to him would be the severest part of hell. 

We were converted and sanctified wholly at camp- 
meeting. Well would it have been for our Presbyterian 
brethren, if they had continued their feast of tabernacles. 
It is a good place to wash the Lord's sheep. We have 
engaged, probably, fifty of these feasts in our day, and 
the falling showers have taken out of us all the starch, 
as they have in the case of many cold professors, who 
have returned home pliable as lambs. It was at camp- 
meeting that Finley lost the manly strength of which 
he boasted before he went to it. But such praying and 
singing ! What is the matter now ? Your knees knock- 
ing together like a certain ancient monarch; shivering 
like an aspen; your cheeks pale as marble. Why so 
excited? No physical power has hold of him. His 
courage has all oozed out of him. There was no dodging 
the skilful archers; and his pride was wounded. From 
pulpits made of trees fallen, the arrows were hurled thick 
and fast into the hearts of the King's enemies. Five 
hundred fell as dead. The groans of the dying, and 
the shouts of the saved, mingled, and made the forest 
tremble. Here was one of God's revivals, a Pentecost 
in the nineteenth century. What a place for velvet 
ears! There were scarcely any to cry order. Nothing 
but such a tabernacle will bring the Methodist Church 
back to the old landmarks, O Lord, let the wind blow; 



280 Starch Taken Out. — A Pentecost. 

turn up whole forests by the roots; thoroughly purge 
the threshing floor, until nothing but pure wheat remains. 
Amen! 

We will now present an account of the fall and re- 
covery of this man of God, before he would consent 
to preach the Gospel. The burden was upon him, 
but Jonah-like he took the ship to Tarshish. A rough 
voyage he had of it. Reduced to a skeleton, he went 
day after day into the woods, and told God that if he 
must preach or go to hell, then hell must be his portion; 
but God was not so easily put off; he let down his judg- 
ments, upon him until he cried out as he lay for weeks 
in a hollow log, reading his Bible, 

"Nay, but I yield, I yield." 

But we must let Bro. Finley tell his own story. 

"Thus I continued retiring, as usual, to the woods, 
and spending my time reading the Scriptures and 
Russel's Sermons, and prayeT, till Thursday, which I 
set apart as a day for solemn fasting, humiliation, and 
prayer. The most of the day was spent in the hollow 
log, reading the Bible and praying. In the evening I 
came home, and, after attending to some duties, went 
out again to the woods, after dark, determined, if I 
perished, to perish at the feet of mercy. I selected, as 
a place for my supplications, a large poplar tree, and 
getting on the opposite side from the wind, I scraped 
away the snow, that I might kneel there. Here I 
prayed and wrestled till about midnight, when I felt 
comforted. My load of sin was gone, and the sensations 
of cold which I had experienced, were also gone. The 
weather seemed pleasant and balmy as spring. I arose 
and went home, rilled with gratitude to God, for his 
forgiving mercy and redeeming love. I had not received 



A Jonah. 281 

the direct witness of the Spirit, that I was a child of 
God, but yet I knew my sins were pardoned. I found 
my wife waiting for me, and we retired to rest. Just 
at the break of day I awoke, and I shall never be able 
to tell the gratitude I felt to God, that I was permitted 
to awake out of hell; and I thought I would express 
my feelings to my wife, when, to my astonishment, I 
found her convulsed in sorrow, and bathed in tears. 

I immediately arose for the purpose of going to my 
barn to pray. Just as I passed the corner of the house 
on my way, suddenly God poured upon me the Holy 
Spirit in such a manner, and in such a measure, that 
I fell my whole length in the snow, and shouted and 
praised God so loud, that I was heard over the neighbor- 
hood. As soon as I was able to rise, I returned to the 
house, and my wife having risen, I caught her in my 
arms, and ran round the house shouting, 'Salvation! 
Salvation ! God has again blessed me with his pardoning 
love.' No doubt many would have said, had they seen 
me, 'this man is drunk or crazy.' But I was not 
'drunk with wine, wherein is excess'; but I was, 'filled 
with the Spirit.' For an hour I could do nothing but 
praise the Lord. While thus exercised, I felt as though 
some one had spoken to me, 'Go preach my Gospel.' 
I instantly replied, 'Yes, Lord, if thou wilt go with 
me.' I did not stop to confer with flesh and blood, 
but hurried out as fast as I could to my nearest neighbor, 
and called all the family together, and told them all 
that God had done for my soul; and to all within my 
reach that day, I proclaimed a risen Savior, who had 
power on earth to forgive sins." 

Proud skeptic, do you not see the man, who yester- 
day was so reduced by grief and sorrow, that a grass- 
hopper would have been a burden, now skipping like 
a lamb on Lebanon. Several times round his cabin 



282 Fall and Recovery. 

he runs, with his wife in his arms, shouting all the 
while. She was no more than a wax doll. He could 
with his wife in his arms leap over a wall. Happy 
were they on the day they were married; but a thou- 
sand times happier now. How silly it seems to some. 
How strange to see a man of education and refinement 
acting so wildly. God have mercy on the proud ones, 
who are ever deriding the child-like disposition and con- 
duct of God's children. O, that such might be con- 
verted, and be able to sing, 

"Perhaps you think me wild, 
Or simple as a child; 

I am a child of glory. 
I am born from above, 
My soul is full of love, 

I long to tell the story.' 



Chapter XLVIL— J. B. Finley 

We give the history of one more camp-meeting, as 
a sort of cap-stone to our noisy book: 

"The great general camp-meeting was held at Cane 
Ridge meeting house. This house was built for my 
father, and here was my old home. I have elsewhere 
described this meeting, or attempted to do so. Lan- 
guage is utterly impuissant to convey anything like 
an adequate idea of the sublimity and grandeur of the 
scene. Twenty thousand persons tossed to and fro, like 
the tumultuous waves of the sea in a storm, or swept 
down like the trees of the forest under the blast of the 
wild tornado, was a sight which mine own eyes witnessed, 
but which neither my pen nor tongue can describe. 



A Camp-Meeting. 283 

11 During the religious exercises within the encamp- 
ment, all manner of wickedness was going on without. 
So deep and awful is man's depravity, that he will sport 
while the very fires of perdition are kindling around 
him. Men, furious with the effects of the maddening 
bowl, would outrage all decency by their conduct; and 
some, mounted on horses, would ride at full speed among 
the people. I saw one, who seemed to be a leader and 
champion of the party, on a large, white horse, ride 
furiously into the praying circle, uttering the most horrid 
imprecations. Suddenly, as if smitten by lightning, he 
fell from his horse. At this a shout went up from the 
religious multitude, as if Lucifer himself had fallen. I 
trembled, for I feared God had killed the bold and daring 
blasphemer. He exhibited no signs whatever of life; 
his limbs were rigid, his wrists pulseless, and his breath 
gone. Several of his comrades came to see him, but 
they did not gaze long till the power of God came upon 
them, and they fell like men slain in battle. I was 
much alarmed, but I had a great desire to see the issue. 
I watched him closely, while for thirty hours he lay, 
to all human appearance, dead. During this time the 
people kept up singing and praying. At last he ex- 
hibited signs of life, but they were fearful spasms, which 
seemed as if he were in a convulsive fit, attended by 
frightful groans, as if he were passing through the in- 
tensest agony. It was not long, however, till his con- 
vulsions ceased, and springing to his feet, his groans 
were converted into loud and joyous shouts of praise. 
The dark, fiend-like scowl which overspread his features, 
gave way to a happy smile, which lighted up his coun- 
tenance. 

"A certain Dr. P., accompanied by a lady from Lex- 
ington, was induced, out of mere curiosity, to attend 
the meeting. As they had heard much about the in vol- 



284 Peculiarities of the Work. 

untary jerkings and fallings which attended the exer- 
cises, they entered into an agreement between them- 
selves that, should either of them be thus strangely at- 
tacked or fall, the other was to stand by to the last. 
It was not long till the lady was brought down in all her 
pride, a poor sinner in the dust, before her God. The 
Doctor, agitated, came up and felt for her pulse; 
but, alas! her pulse was gone. At this he turned pale, 
and, staggering a few paces, he fell beneath the power 
of the same invisible hand. After remaining for some 
time in this state, they both obtained pardon and peace, 
and went rejoicing home. They both lived and died 
happy Christians. Thousands were affected in the same 
way. 

"These camp-meetings continued for some time, the 
Presbyterians and Methodists uniting together as one 
in the army of the Lord. Some ministers had serious 
doubts concerning the character of the work; but its 
genuineness was demonstrated by the fruits. Men of 
the most depraved hearts and vicious habits were made 
new creatures, and a whole life of virtue subsequently 
confirmed the conversion. To all but Methodists the 
work was entirely strange. Some of the peculiarities had 
been witnessed before by the preachers, and they were 
enabled to carry it on. 

"These meetings exhibited nothing to the spectator 
unacquainted with them but a scene of confusion, 
such as scarcely could be put into human language. 
They were generally opened with a sermon or exhorta- 
tion, at the close of which there would be a universal 
cry for mercy, some bursting forth in loud ejaculations 
of prayer or thanksgiving for the truth; some break- 
ing forth in strong and powerful exhortations, others 
flying to their careless friends with tears of compas- 
sion, entreating them to fly to Christ for mercy; some, 



Interesting Incidents. 285 

struck with terror and conviction, hastening through 
the crowd to escape, or pulling away from their rela- 
tions; others trembling, weeping, crying for mercy; 
some falling and swooning away, till every appearance 
of life was gone, and the extremities of the body assumed 
the coldness of death. These were surrounded with a 
company of the pious, singing melodious songs adapted 
to the time, and praying for their conversion. But 
there were others collected in circles round this variegated 
scene, contending for and against the work. 

"Many circumstances transpired that are worthy of 
note in reference to this work. Children were often 
made the instruments through which the Lord wrought. 
At one of these powerful displays of Divine power, a 
boy about ten years old broke from the stand in time 
of preaching under very strong impressions, and having 
mounted a log at some distance, and raising his voice 
in a most affecting manner, cried out, 'On the last day 
of the feast Jesus stood and cried, "If any man thirst, 
let him come unto me and drink." He attracted the 
main body of the congregation, and, with streaming 
eyes, he warned the sinners of their danger, pronouncing 
their doom, if they persevered in sin, and strongly ex- 
pressed his love for the salvation of their souls, and the 
desire that they would turn to God and live. By this 
time the press was so great that he was taken up by two 
men and held above the crowd. He spoke for nearly an 
hour with that convincing eloquence that could be in- 
spired only from heaven; and when exhausted, and 
language failed to describe the feelings of his soul, he 
raised his handkerchief, and dropping it, cried, 'Thus 
O sinner, will you drop into hell, unless you forsake 
your sins and turn to God.' At this moment the power 
of God fell upon the assembly, and sinners fell as men 
slain in mighty battle, and the cries for mercy seemed 



286 Sinners Stricken Down. 

as though they would rend the heavens, and the work 
spread in a manner which human language can not 
describe. 

"We will now try to give something in reference to 
the manner and the exercise of mind of those who were 
the subjects of this work. Immediately before they 
became totally powerless, they were sometimes seized 
with a general tremor, and often uttered several piercing 
shrieks in the moment of falling. Men and women 
never fell when under this jerking exercise till they be- 
came exhausted. Some were unable to stand, and yet 
had the use of their hands and could converse with 
companions. Others were unable to speak. The pulse 
became weak, and they drew a difficult breath about 
once a minute. In many instances they became cold. 
Breathing, pulsation, and all signs of life, forsook them 
for hours ; yet I never heard of one who died in this con- 
dition, and I have conversed wtih persons who have laid 
in this situation for many hours, and they have uniformly 
testified that they had no bodily pain, and that they had 
the entire use of their reason and powers of mind. From 
this it appears that their falling was neither common 
fainting nor a nervous affection. Indeed, this strange 
work appears to have taken every possible turn to 
baffle the conjectures and philosophizing of those who 
were unwilling to acknowledge it was the work of God. 
Persons have fallen on their way home from meeting 
some after they had arrived at home, others pursuing 
their common business on their farms, and others 
when they were attending to family or secret devotions. 
Numbers of thoughtless, careless sinners, have fallen as 
suddenly as if struck by lightning. Professed infidels, 
and other vicious characters, have been arrested, and 
sometimes at the very moment when they were uttering 
their blasphemies against God and the work, and have, 



Results of the Work. 287 

like Saul, declared that to be God's work which they so 
vehemently persecuted. 

"I trust I have said enough on this subject to enable 
my readers to judge how far the charge of enthusiasm 
and delusion is applicable to this work, unequalled fot 
power and for the entire change of the hearts and lives of 
so many thousands of men and women. Lord Lyttleton, 
in his letter on the conversion of St. Paul, observes, and 
I think justly, that enthusiasm is a vain, self-righteous 
spirit, swelled with self-sufficiency and disposed to glory 
in its religious attainments. If this be a good definition, 
there was as little enthusiasm in this work as any other. 
Never were there more genuine marks of that humility 
which disclaims the merits of its own works, and looks 
to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only way of acceptance 
with God. Christ was all and in all in their exercises and 
religion, and their Gospel, and all believers in their 
highest attainments seemed most sensible of their entire 
dependence upon Divine grace ; and it was truly affecting 
to hear with what anxiety awakened sinners inquired 
for Christ as the only Physician who could give them 
help. Those who call this enthusiasm ought to tell us 
what they understand by the spirit of Christianity. Upon 
the whole, this revival in the west was the most extraor- 
dinary that ever visited the Church of Christ, and was 
peculiarly adapted to the circumstances of the country. 
Infidelity was triumphant, and religion at the point of 
expiring. Something of an extraordinary nature was 
necessary to arrest the attention of a wicked and scepti- 
cal people, who were ready to conclude that Christianity 
was a fable and futurity a dream. This great work of 
God did do it. It confounded infidelity and vice into 
silence, and brought numbers beyond calculation under 
the influence of experimental religion and practical 
piety." 



288 Blundering Tactics. 

The question, how many turned away from that 
camp-meeting, Naaman-like, in a rage? — how many 
proud Pharisees went home muttering "disorder and 
confusion? " — the day of doom alone can answer. Often 
have we been sickened by wise, prudent presiding elders, 
who manifest much more care for order, and to have it 
said that all passed off quietly and genteelly, than for 
the salvation of souls. They forgot that the mountain 
is covered with horses and chariots to defend the sacra- 
mental hosts. They will draft one hundred men, the 
strength of the spiritual army, and send one half to 
scour the roads and drive sinners from the net ; and the 
other half is kept on the ground, to keep the brethren 
and sisters from praying too loud, and to shut down 
every gate and close every door at the sound of the horn. 
No matter if fifty persons were balanced between the 
two kingdoms, things must be abruptly stopped, and 
the risk run of their falling back into the tempter's 
power. Before we were converted, we were staggered 
when we heard persons split their throats in proclaiming 
the value of a soul, and appear unwilling to forego their 
beefsteak, and Java, and ease, for the labors of the prayer 
meeting ; and since our conversation, we have been ashamed 
of our own indifference in such important cases. God 
help us practice what we preach. More than once 
have we had the cold water spouts turned upon us by 
some presiding elder or preacher, when the sea of our 
soul has been agitated, or that of some weak brother or 
sister, and the sacred flame quenched. They would 
seem distressed, and say, "Order and solemnity," or, 
"Brethren, pray." All in order to pray, except for 
those filled with joy. St. James says, If any are afflicted, 
let them pray; and he also says, If any are merry, let 
them sing psalms. If any minister or layman is afflicted 
because some of the children are happy and shout 
Hosannah, he ought to be prostrate at the mourner's 



Cattaraugus Meeting. — Colonization. 289 

bench, and pray until Christ has healed his soul. The 
order of God, not that of man, should be sought and 
followed. Then would the spirit of old fashioned reviv- 
als return. 

We must confess a little mental conflict just here, 
in determining whether we should strike out some of 
the above or not. We may be considered a little re- 
bellious — not obedient to the ordained powers. But we 
love the order of God. We love Caesar ; but we love Rome 
more. The last camp-meeting we attended was at 
Cattaraugus. The presiding elder buried his horn, 
pulled down the bars, and let the Spirit and the brethren 
have free course. The Gospel ran, and God was glorified. 
There were more sinners converted, and souls sanctified, 
from ten at night until daylight in the morning, than 
during all the rest of the meeting. Suppose some brother 
or sister gets a nervous headache in consequence of a 
restless night? To balance that, God may give a con- 
verted husband, or wife or child. What are a few hours 
headache to everlasting burnings? 

The great wonder in heaven will be, that Christ ever 
colonized the heavenly country from such a world of 
iniquity as this. Rowdies, by grace, made shining 
saints! Millions in heaven will date their conversion 
at some rough-and-tumble pitched battles with the 
devil, at the midnight hour, when he with his obedient 
followers attempted to break up the camp. How 
frequently he loses his best troops in some of these 
encounters. Many an arrow sent at a venture, has 
pierced the joints of the harness, and like Ahab, the 
wounded have been drawn by the chariot wheels of 
free grace to the mercy seat, and have been saved. Any 
camp-meeting that does not disturb the devil, and win 
souls to Christ, is not conducted in God's order. 

Good bye, Finley, until we meet in a land where 
shines an eternal day. 



290 A Stratagem. — Old Moses. 



Chapter XLVIII. — The Use of Shouting. 

What is the use of shouting? Says one, there is 
no religion in a noise. Then Zachariah was mistaken. 
He said, they shall drink and make a noise as through 
wine. Here we have cause and effect. Wine makes 
men noisy and tremulous if drank freely. So the 
saints, when filled with the Spirit. But what is the 
use of shouting? The walls of Jericho would perhaps 
have been standing now, had not the saints shouted, 
as God commanded. Three thousand might never 
have been converted had they not been called together 
on the day of Pentecost, by the shouts of the victors. 

A poor man once by his wisdom saved a city from 
perishing with hunger. His wisdom was not immor- 
talized in newspaper puffs, or flaming eulogies, for he 
was. a poor man. The city was besieged so closely 
that it was death to appear outside the walls. Every- 
thing within was devoured but one bullock; while 
without were hundreds of fat cattle, quietly grazing. 
In the extremity, the poor but wise man received per- 
mission to use a stratagem to procure food. He con- 
structed a windlass which would hoist the bullock 
several feet above the wall in a moment. Every time 
this was done the bullock would bellow with all his 
might. This drew all the cattle of the enemy to the 
gate; and all that had to be done was to open the gate, 
into which the cattle eagerly pressed. All were soon 
supplied. This was only for the body ; but it shows 
the use of a noise. 

We are now about to tell you a story of a poor slave, 
who, by his noise, was the means of saving his master 
and household, and perhaps many others, This old 



Old Moses. 291 

gospel leaven is a wonderful thing to spread, when 
it once gets kneaded in. It has so much power that 
it will raise a man up like the bullock, and make him 
bellow so as to disturb a whole neighborhood, and 
draw sinners to the gates of Zion. 
But now the story : 

OLD MOSES. 

Mr. B. was a merchant in Baltimore, and did a very- 
heavy business, especially in grain. One morning, as 
he was passing over the vessels that lay at the wharf, 
with their various commodities for sale, he stepped 
over the deck of one, at the stern of which he saw a 
negro man sitting, whose dejected countenance gave 
sure indications of distress ; and he accosted him with — 

"Hey, man, what is the matter with you this morn- 
ing?'" 

"Ah, massa, I'se in great trouble." 

"What about?" 

"Kase I'se fotched to be sold." 

"What for? What have you been doing? Have 
you been stealing, or did you run away, or what?" 

"No, no, massa, none o'dat; It's because I didn't 
mind the audes." 

"What kind of orders?" 

"Well, massa stranger, I tell you. Massa Willum 
werry strict man, and werry nice man too, and ebery 
body on the place got to mine him, and I break trew 
de rule; but I didn't tend to break trew the rule, doe; 
I forgot myself, and I got too high." 

"It's for getting drunk, then, is it?" 

"O, no, sah, not dat nother." 

"You are the strangest negro I have seen in a week. 
I can get no satisfaction from you. If you would not 



2Q2 Old Moses. 

like to be pitched overboard, you had better tell me 
what you did." 

"Please massa, don't frow de poor flicted nigger in 
de wata." 

"Then tell me what you are to be sold for." 

"For prayin, sah." 

"For praying! that is a strange tale indeed. Will 
your master not permit you to pray?" 

"0,yes sah, he let me pray easy, but I hollers too loud." 

"And why do you hallow so loud in your prayer?" 

"Kase de spirit comes on me, and I gets happy fore 
I knows it; den I gone; can't trol merself den; den 
I knows nuthin bout massa's rule; den I holler if ole 
Sattin hissef come with all the rules of the quisition." 

"And do you suppose your master will really sell you 
for that?" 

"O yes, no help for me now; kase when massa Willum 
say one thing, he no do anoder." 

"What is your name?" 

"Moses, sah." 

"What is your master's name?" 

"Massa name Colonel Willum C ." 

"Where does he live?" 

"Down on Easin Shoah." 

"Is he a good master? Does he treat you well?" 

"O yes, massa Willum good; no better massa in 
de world." 

"Stand up and let me look at you." And Moses 
stood up and presented a robust frame; and Mr. B. 
stripped up his sleeve, his arm gave evidence of unusual 
muscular strength. 

"Where is your master?" 

"Yonder he is, jist coming to the wharf." 

As Mr. B. started for the shore he heard Moses give 
a heavy sigh, followed by a deep groan. Moses was 



Old Moses. 293 

not at all pleased with the present phase of affairs. He 
was strongly impressed with the idea that B. was 
a trader and intended to buy him, and it was this that 
made him so unwilling to communicate to Mr. B. the 
desired information. Mr. B. reached the wharf just 
as Col. C. did. He introduced himself and said: 

"I understand you wish to sell that negro man yonder 
on board the schooner." 

Col. C. replied that he did. 

"What do you ask for him?" 

"I expect to get seven hundred dollars." 

"How old is he?" 

"About thirty." 

"Is he healthy?" 

"Very, he never had any sickness in life except one 
or two spells of ague." 

"Is he hearty?" 

"Yes, sir, he will eat as much as any man ought, 
and it will do him as much good." 

"Is he a good hand?" 

"Yes, sir; he is the best hand on my place. He is 
steady, honest and industrious. He has been my fore- 
man for the last ten years, and a more trusty negro I 
never knew." 

"Why do you wish to sell him?" 

"Because he disobeys my orders. As I said, he is 
my foreman; and that he might be available at any 
time I might want him, I built his quarter within a 
hundred yards of my own house, and I have never 
rung the bell at any time in the night or morning, 
that his horn did not answer in five minutes after. 
But two years ago he got religion and commenced 
what he terms family prayer — that is, prayer in his 
quarter every night and morning; and when he begun 
his prayer, it was impossible to tell when it would 



294 Old Moses. 

stop, especially if (as he termed it) he got happy. Then 
he would sing and pray and halloo for an hour or two 
together, that you might hear him a mile off. And he 
would pray for me and my wife and children, and all my 
brothers and sisters and their children, and our whole 
family connection to the third generation; and some- 
times, when we would have visitors, Moses' prayers would 
interrupt the conversation and destroy the enjoyment 
of the whole company. The women would cry, and 
the children would cry, and it would send me almost 
frantic; and even after I retired, it would sometimes be 
nearly daylight before I could go to sleep ; for it appeared 
to me that I could hear Moses pray for three hours 
after he had finished. I bore it as long as I could, 
and then forbid him praying so loud any more. Moses 
promised obedience, but he soon transgressed; and my 
rule is never to whip, but whenever a negro proves 
incorrigible, I sell him. This keeps them in better sub- 
jection and is less trouble than whipping. I pardoned 
Moses twice for praying so loud, but the third time 
I knew I must sell him, or every negro on the 
farm would soon be perfectly regardless of all my 
orders." 

"You spoke of Moses' quarters; I suppose from that 
he has a family." 

"Yes, he has a woman and three children — or wife 
I suppose he calls her now, for soon after he got relig- 
ion he asked me if they might get married, and I pre- 
sume they were." 

"What will you take for her and the three children?" 

"If you want them for your own use, I will take 
seven hundred dollars; but I shall not sell Moses for 
them to go out of the State." 

"I wish them all for my own use, and I will give 
you the fourteen hundred dollars." 



Old Moses. 295 

Mr. R. and Col. C. then went to B's store, drew up 
the writing, and closed the sale, after which they re- 
turned to the vessel; and Mr. B. approaching the negro, 
who sat with his eyes fixed upon the deck, seemingly 
wrapped in meditation of the most awful forebodings, 
said: 

"Well, Moses, I have bought you." 

Moses made a very low bow, and every muscle of 
his face worked with emotion as he replied — 

"Is you, massa? Where is I gwme, massa? Is I 
gwine to Georgy?" 

"No," said Mr. B. "I am a merchant in the city 
here, and yonder is my store, and I have purchased 
your wife and children too, that you may not be 
separated." 

"Bress God for dat! And kin I go to meeting some- 
times?" 

"Yes, Moses, you can go to church three times on 
the Sabbath, and every night in the week; and you 
can pray as often as you choose, and get as happy as 
you choose; and every time you pray, whether it be 
at home or at church, I want you to pray for me, my 
wife, and all my children, and single-handed too; for 
if you are a good man, your prayers will do us no harm, 
and we need them very much; and if you wish to, you 
may pray for everybody of the name of B. in the State 
of Maryland. It will not injure them." 

While Mr. B. was dealing out these privileges to 
Moses, the negro's eyes danced in their sockets, and 
his full heart laughed right out with gladness, exposing 
two rows of as even, clean ivories as any African can 
boast, and his hearty response was, 

"Bress God, bress God all time, and bress you too, 
massa. Moses nebertink he gwine to have all dese com- 
modations; it makes me tink bout Joseph in de Egypt." 



296 Old Moses. 

And after Moses had poured a few blessings on Col. 
C, bidding him a warm adieu, and requesting him to 
give his love and farewell to his mistress, the children 
and all the servants, he followed B. to the store, to enter 
on the functions of his office. 

The return of the schooner brought to Moses his 
wife and children. 

Early the next spring, as Mr. B. was standing at the 
store door, he saw a man leap upon the wharf from 
the deck of a vessel and walk hurriedly towards the 
store. He soon recognized him as Col. C. They ex- 
changed salutations, and to the Colonel's inquiry after 
Moses, Mr. B. replied that he was up stairs measuring 
grain, and invited him to walk up and see him. Soon 
Mr. B's attention was arrested by a very confusing 
noise above. He listened and heard an unusual shuffling 
of feet, some one sobbing violently, and some one 
talking very hurriedly; and when he reflected on Col. 
C's singular movements and the peculiar expression 
of his countenance, he became alarmed, and determined 
to go up and see what was transpiring. 

When he reached the head of the stairs he was startled 
by seeing Moses in the middle of the floor down upon his 
knees, with his arms around the Colonel's waist, and 
weeping audibly. As soon as the Colonel could suffi- 
ciently control his feelings, he told Mr. B. that he had 
never been able to free himself from the influence of 
Moses' prayers, and that during the past year he and his 
wife, and all the children had been converted to God. 

Moses responded, "Bress God, massa C, do I way 
up hea, I neber forgit you in my prayers — I always 
put de old massa side the new one. Bress God, dis 
make Moses think about Joseph in the Egypt again." 

The Colonel then stated to Mr. B. that his object in 
coming to Baltimore was to buy Moses and his family 



Old Moses. 297 

back again. But Mr. B. assured him that it was out of 
the question, for he could not part with him; and he 
intended to manumit Moses and his wife at forty, and his 
children at thirty-five years of age. 

Moses was not far wrong in his reference to Joseph. 
For when Joseph was sold in Egypt, God overruled 
to his good, and he obtained blessings that were far 
beyond his expectations ; so with Moses. Moses event- 
ually proved the instrument of saving the man's soul 
who sold him. 

Old Moses is still living and doing well. He long 
since obtained his freedom, and at present occupies a 
comfortable house of his own; and I suppose sings 
and prays, and prays and shouts to his heart's content. 



Chapter XLIX. — Third Church, Syracuse. 

If every true convert would stand up as straight for 
Jesus as Moses did, the hallowed flame would rise so 
high that all the fire engines of modern invention could 
not quench it. His prayers and words would be so 
clothed with authority, that they would disturb the 
midnight slumbers of even a slaveholder, and break 
the proud hearts of his wife and children. May the 
Lord multiply such shouters. 

The last two years of our own life has been some- 
what peculiar; and, as is the custom of Methodists, 
we will weave in a little of our own experience. A few 
years ago there was a little band of brethren which 
had swarmed from the First M. E. Church in Syracuse, 
and formed what was at first called the Mission Church, 
and afterwards the Third Church. They did not differ 
with their brethren on doctrinal points; only on what 



298 Peculiarities. — Persecution. 

are termed peculiarities. The bees that swarmed were 
noisy. Incessantly they praised God. They sing, shout, 
scream, and leap for joy; in all things they follow the 
Spirit and endeavor to be submissive. Unwisely, we 
think, the Bishop sent a man to them diametrically 
opposed to their manner of worship, as, perhaps, many 
good preachers are. The result was as follows: The 
little craft being under full headway could not be snubbed, 
or strapped down to the preacher's iron bedstead ; it kept 
in the middle of the stream, and kept on a full head of 
steam; like Samson, it broke every green withe or new 
rope, and maintained its freedom. The minister and 
the little flock agreed to separate; he went to a more 
congenial field, and they kept on in their course. This 
squall proved them to be on solid rock, with the king- 
dom just before them; their zeal remained unquenched 
and their shouts of victory went up as usual. The 
flame of persecution waxed hot and blazed high; yet 
the bush was unconsumed. The vilest epithets were 
heaped upon them, their peculiarities were magnified, 
and rendered so odious by misrepresentation, that, by 
brethren in distant neighborhoods, they were looked 
upon as wild cats rather than as Christians. 

The Bishop and his cabinet neglected to send them 
a preacher. Just at this point the Gospel door open- 
ed on its golden hinges to the poor blind man, who had 
no reputation or salary to jeopardize. We shall want 
an eternity to thank God for the privilege of preaching 
the unsearchable riches of Christ two years and a half, 
with our colleague, Bro. Davis, a local preacher, who 
lived ten miles from Syracuse, and was a Holy Ghost 
man, who sung and shouted, preached and exhorted 
with us in the fear of God, until the fires of persecution 
burned down to embers. 



Endorsed by Bishops. 299 

Subsequently the officers of the church, together 
with their accusers, had an audience before Bishops 
Janes, Ames, and Baker. As the accusers made known 
their grievances, Bishop Ames would say, — Amen! 
brethren, this is the old way. When I was a circuit 
preacher, we used to dismiss the congregation for those 
who wished to retire as soon as preaching was over, then 
we could remain to sing and pray if any soul wanted 
salvation. It was like Balak sending for Balaam to 
curse Israel. Instead of cursing them he blessed them. 
The Bishops decided that they had been persecuted; and, 
without a single reproof, sent them Rev. Bro. David 
Stone, a man like Moses in meekness, and like John in 
love. Never did preacher and people dwell more 
harmoniously together. 

But the reader will ask for specifications. What 
were their peculiarities? None that differed materi- 
ally from those that appeared in the days of Wesley, 
Abbott, Evans, Edwards, Cartwright, and Finley. We 
note only this difference. The peculiarities of the 
Third Church were nothing in comparison to those we 
have recorded. One complaint against them was that 
they disturbed the people for several blocks around 
by their groans, prayers and loud shouts of praise. No 
wonder that infidels and Pharisees were disturbed. 
If they had been slaves, like Moses, no doubt they 
would have been sold up Red river, or somewhere else. 
But Jesus had made them free, body and soul; and they 
were determined to use their freedom. Many a soul 
doubtless that day, like Col. Williams, the master of 
old Moses, thanks God that their slumbers were ever 
broken by this noisy crew. 

One thing there was, rather uncommon for whirl- 
wind revivals. After a warm sermon, when the saints 



300 Disturbed People. — Healing Faith. 

would rise to testify, two or three sisters, some belonging 
to other churches, persons noted for retiring modesty and 
genuine piety, would be pressed to move from their 
seats, and leap up and down the aisles; and were impres- 
sed to lay their hands on the heads of the brethren and 
sisters, declaring that they saw a peculiar light resting 
over the heads of some; and now we can declare that 
whenever their hands touched our head unearthly joy 
thrilled soul and body. Those who saw them said they 
would leap with almost the fleetness of an angel. At 
such times a solemn awe would rest on the whole congre- 
gation, numbering, perhaps, four hundred, and all would 
feel that they were in the house of God. All these 
things occurred during the hottest persecutions. 

Another offence urged against the brethren was, 
that when they were sick they would refuse to take 
medicines, or call a doctor, but would take their case 
to the Lord, and afterwards testify in open court that 
Jesus had healed their bodies. Not many months 
ago Bro. Timothy Stearns, a prominent member, whose 
piety we never heard doubted, had a malignant spider 
cancer on his jaw — so called by eminent physicians. 
He refused the use of any application whatever. He 
carried it to the Lord; and in a few weeks it disappeared. 
We confess our own faith has not been elevated to that 
point; that of others has; but sometimes, like Paul we 
have been shut up unto it. 

We will relate a little personal matter. At the last 
Bergen Camp Meeting, as we awoke in the morning, 
our throat seemed skinned down to the vitals. It was 
Friday morning. This was our day of fasting, always 
a day of peculiar solemnity. The devil said we had 
preached our last sermon, our throat was destroyed. 
O, what a mountain of gloom rested upon our soul. 
We took our little guide and went into the woods and 



Healing Faith. 301 

laid our case before the Lord. The idea that we should 
never preach to the poor gave us great sorrow. But 
as Paul was told to go to the old tanner, we were directed 
to Bro. B. T. Roberts' tent, in which there were some 
of the Third Church brethren, who possessed the healing 
faith. When we arrived they were at prayer. We 
knelt down in front of the tent, and wept like a little 
child. We could scarcely speak above a whisper. We 
then referred the Lord to the fourteen years we had 
been trying to feed his sheep at different poor houses; 
how many there were of his own dear children bereft 
of gospel privileges. About this time the brethren 
had learned our case, and in a moment our throat was 
healed, and we could sing, shout, or pray, as the Spirit 
moved. We were then requested to lead the class, which 
numbered about one hundred. We led one half, and 
then requested Bro. B. I. Ives to lead the other half. 
Soon after he began, a water spout of grace broke upon 
our heads, and we fell under its power. Amen! Hal- 
lelujah! Still we confess with shame, our healing faith 
is still weak. 

But we must hasten on. We want no easier place 
to preach, than the humble, no-steepled, free-pewed 
Church at Syracuse; although it has now become pop- 
ular with those who were its opposers, and now they 
can sing and shout as well as its worshippers. 

To the glory of free grace we want to relate some 
strange* things that have happened to us in seasons of 
refreshing and power. We have often rose and took 
our text as calm as a May morning, but before we 
could advance a step with it, it would become a ladder, 
setting at our feet and reaching the heavens, until by 
realizing faith we could behold unspeakable wonders, and 
feel the power sweetly going through every nerve of our 
body. Our power of articulation would be taken away, 



302 Power in the Pulpit. 

our teeth would begin to chatter and when the glory 
arrived at a certain pitch, as quick as lightning we would 
be brought to stand on tip-toe, our arms extended over 
our head at their full length, become nearly as stiff as a 
corpse, and fall our full length in the pulpit. All this 
time we would be conscious of what was going on. In 
this state we would be kept from three to five minutes ; 
then our body would relax to its ordinary state. There 
was not so much joy during this state as afterward 
when the tide from the ocean would flow in, and overflow 
the banks of our soul with Divine love. If ever we were 
qualified to preach, it was at such times. We wanted no 
foolscap to turn over in the desk. We could seemingly 
lay our naked hand on the bare arm of God. We 
were like a child in its mother's pantry, the shelves of 
which were loaded with every luxury. We could lay 
hold on the gospel provisions, and press them to the lips 
of lovers of Christ. The devil was here baffled. Some- 
times he would accuse us of excitement; but when 
the heavens opened he would return to his own place. 
But we have something better than any outward dem- 
onstration. It is a white stone, with a new name en- 
graven upon it, that none can be familiar with except 
the giver and receiver. 

But we must shut down the gate. We must pass 
to our concluding chapter. So farewell my loving 
brethren of the Third M. E. Church, whom not having 
seen, yet we fervently love. 



Retrospect. — Noisiest of all. 303 



Chapter L. — Last Revival. 

Dear reader, in this chapter we are to give you the 
parting hand. You have been by our side through 
our journey. Many glorious scenes have we witnessed. 
We were together as we listened to the singing of the 
stars ; together we waded in the river of Ezekiel's vision; 
and we traveled together as we followed the hosts of 
Israel from Egypt to the land of promise. You saw 
many things that offended you. But the day of Pente- 
cost opened your eyes; and with us you have with 
delight waded the stream as it has increased in breadth 
and depth, down to the times of Wesley, Evans, and 
their compeers. We have seen whirlwind power uproot- 
ing vast forests, in Europe and America. It appears 
that when the Spirit has free course, its outward demon- 
strations are the same in all ages, and among all denom- 
inations. We have had a good time with our pioneer 
brethren, Cartwright and Finley; and last, but not least 
among the thousands of Israel, the little flock at Syracuse. 

We are now to notice the last revival we are sure 
will occur on earth. We shall all be there. However 
indifferent and fault-finding persons are now, they 
will be interested then. Those whose occupation it 
has been to find and point out blemishes, will then 
have their mouths stopped. They will have all the 
business they can attend to of their own. Once Pilate 
brought Jesus to his bar, but then the scene will be 
reversed; Christ will be judge, and Pilate the criminal. 
A noisy time it will be. Earth has never witnessed 
such groanings, and shoutings as will then be heard. 
It was a noisy time when the foundation of the second 
temple was laid. The mingled noise of shouting and 



304 Difference. 

weeping was heard afar off. But when the spiritual 
temple, made of regenerated souls, is completed, the 
cap-stone will be brought forth with such shoutings as 
we have never heard. There was a great noise when 
Ezekiel began to prophesy to the bleached bones, and 
bone came to bone, each occupying its proper position; 
but when the notable day of which we are speaking 
comes, the heavens will be dressed in black, and the 
universe will be filled with the thundering of the crash 
of worlds, the cries of terrified sinners, and above all 
the shouts of the redeemed. 

The revival of which we speak, if revival it may 
be called, differs from those of time. No mourner's 
bench presented! It will be said, "He that is holy, 
let him be holy still, and he that is filthy, let him be 
filthy still." No wash tubs or gospel pools there, in 
which the bride may prepare her robes for the nuptial 
festivities. There will be no oil for the dead formalist. 
There will be a sudden trumpet blast, and a peremptory 
call. There will be no faithful preacher or pious mother 
to weep over the sinner, and lead him to the mercy 
seat. The day of such privileges will have passed. 
Sinner, you will not say, "If my young companions 
will go with me I will go." No! All that are in the 
grave will hear his voice and come forth; they that 
have done evil to the resurrection of damnation, they 
that have done good to the resurrection of life. The 
wicked have but one resurrection. Annanias and 
Sapphira were partners in guilt, and shared the same 
fate ; so the body and the soul of the wicked share the 
pains of hell. True believers have two resurrections. 
Their souls are brought to life while on earth — the first 
resurrection ; then at the second resurrection the body is 
raised and the soul again united with it to live forever 
in a glorious heaven. 



A Word to Fault-finders. 



305 



You who have cried, "too much noise, confusion," 
as the saints have blowed the ram's horn around your 
spiritual Jericho, what will you say when the Arch- 
Angel shall take the trump from the hands of him 
that sits on the throne, stand with one foot on the sea 
and the other on dry land, and say that time shall be 
no longer? when with one shrill blast the slumbering 
millions are startled, and land and sea are made to 
give up their dead? when the righteous shall rise with 
glorified bodies, to meet in the air the royal Bride- 
groom with the flower of his court, who is to introduce 
the Bride to the Father, as Isaac introduced Rebecca to 
his father Abraham? In this revival the Lord shall 
descend himself with a shout; and we may be assured 
responsive shouts will be heard from myriads of celestial 
beings. And then the saints shout louder than ever 
on earth. Body and soul, companions in life's toil, pains, 
conflicts, and victories, after a long separation will be 
reunited, and together enter a royal mansion. Now 
they look back on vacant graves, and realize the saying, 
"Death is swallowed up in victory;" and Oh, how they 
shout, "O, grave where is thy victory?" 

Behold he cometh in clouds, as with armies. Every 
eye shall see him. O, what a glorious sight for your 
humble blind author. And the saints, as they behold 
him, shall rise. Many envy Elijah, and his chariot 
of fire; but here all saints have an ascension that even 
Elijah might court. Unnumbered millions will exclaim 
as they ascend, "Thanks be unto God who giveth us 
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." So shall 
we be ever with the Lord. Amen! Halleluiah! 



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